


A Jump In Time

by defwithoutsleep



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Heian Period, Sloooowww burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 08:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 63,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19206073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defwithoutsleep/pseuds/defwithoutsleep
Summary: What is Chaeyeon supposed to do when she is sent back to the Kingdom of Silla in the 10th Century?





	1. Chapter 1

Quietly kicking the pebbles of the cement road in front of her, she continuously pinched the skin on her arm.

‘He’s running late,’ she thought dully, but even through the anxiety, her face was schooled into impassiveness, something she’d had to learn with time.

Her hand trembled when she heard hurried steps heading towards her, but she didn’t want to invite suspicion if it wasn’t the person she was waiting for.

“Have you seen the break of dawn?” the man asked under his breath, voice rough and urgent.

“I’ve never noticed,” Chaeyeon answered, extending her own hand with the small bag in it. “I always thought it was at the palm of my hands.”

The man nodded, handing her a small stack of papers held with a rubber band. He then ran off in the direction he had come from. Chaeyeon waited for a few moments, per protocol, and started walking in the opposite direction.

It was nearing dusk.

\--

A few hours later, she found herself walking home, her hoodie, as always, protecting her face from being seen by anyone else.

She knew she was a nobody, but the time working under her boss had made paranoid at the smallest sound and sight. She never knew either when he would disregard their deal, and she would end up arriving to a home full of dead bodies.

The mental image gave her nausea (or was it the result of hunger?), so she tried redirecting her thoughts towards something else.

It was inevitable, her mind would always go to the same place.

It would go to a happy time, when she, her parents, and Chaeryeong-ie had spent another Sunday at the local fair, winning more plushies to their already growing collection.

It would go to a time when she would be laughing with her friends at Youngin, who was dancing goofily in front of the mirror.

It would go to a time when her mother had been alive, and her father hadn’t become a shell of his old self.

By the time she arrived at home, the lights were out, and, upon inspection, she found her sisters sleeping soundly on their futons, their breath slow and controlled by sleep.

Sitting next to their futons, she closed her eyes, hoping to grab what little sleep she could.

She barely noticed her own sigh of relief.

\--

Dressed in the same hoodie, she waited at the pier for the next client, who, coincidentally (or was it?), was running late.

This specific shipment made her even more nervous than the ones of the previous day.

Although all drugs were illegal in South Korea, she was sure that cocaine would probably get her more time behind bars than weed.

If she was caught. When she gets caught.

There wasn’t many people at this side of the beach, which made it the perfect spot for deliveries and transactions, of which Chaeyeon had also taken part of a few times. She didn’t know if that meant that they trusted her, or precisely because she was disposable, she was sent to do these things.

Her heart spiked at the cynism of her thoughts, still, even after more than two years of doing this job, unable to stomach what she was becoming, what she had become.

An arm suddenly twisted around her neck, making it difficult to breath (and to scream for help, but who would come aid, frankly?). Another hand touched her below the waist, and Chaeyeon immediately knew what it was about.

Using her foot to hit his anckle, she managed to weaken his stance, which gave her enough room to elbow him in the stomach.

It was obvious either he wasn’t used to fighting or he didn’t expect her to fight back (she bet it was both), since his arm slackened as he suddenly spluttered for air. Ducking to escape his embrace, she turned quickly to kick him down there.

He was now groaning on the floor, his hands undecided on whether clutching his stomach or his crotch.

Despite not being the first time a junkie tried stealing the delivery, her heart still beat hardly against her head, and her breath came out in jagged bursts filled with adrenaline.

She knew she had to run away, and was about to, when she felt a powerful gaze literally pin her to the ground. There was a huge sense of urgency within her, burning her entire body, but her feet wouldn’t obey.

Turning to look straight on at the owner of such gaze, her belly filled with dread at the sight.

A stranger stood a few steps from her, like he had always been there, watching. His eyes were black, beady, and his smile was contorted in a way Chaeyeon couldn’t explain.

“It’s time for you to go,” he announced cheerfully, sending shivers down Chaeyeon’s spine.

She wanted to cry, to scream, to beg for mercy, but instead, she found herself falling to the deep ocean, barely feeling her body touch the water before passing out.

\--

A small cough. “It’s okay, darling. Just breath.”

Chaeyeon continued coughing as she tried to remember what had happened. She had just woken up, and a foreign feeling of dread and confusion filled her, like she was obviously not supposed to be there. Her eyes finally opened, albeit not without a good fight, and she was greeted with the sight of a weirdly dressed stranger.

Barely having any strength in her body, she let the stranger’s hands steady her, leading her to sit. She felt a small wooden cup touch her lips, making her part them unconsciously. Immediately, a small stream of water fell onto her mouth, and she struggled to swallow it without choking. Her body screamed relief, as if it had been ages since she had first tasted water.

Closing her eyes again, she expected the man to speak, but he didn’t. Walking again into her dream world, she slept again.

\--

Her confusion never really went away, and she understood why the second time she woke up again, her mind in a better state. This time, though, there was no strangely clothed man, only the quietness of a desolate house. It came straight out of a historical film. She stood up slowly, feeling her body burn in pain, gazing at her environment, marveling at the arquitecture the house had on its inside.

There was also some stuff in here. However, she couldn’t even begin to inspect them when the sliding door opened and the strangely dressed man entered, looking shocked.

“How are you-? Oh, miss, please sit down. It’s not healthy for you to be standing up.” Why did he speak with antique words? Whatever, Chaeyeon couldn’t be bothered with that.

“Who are you and why am I here?” she asked warily, a dangerous edge in her voice. The man, although not so small, cowered at her voice for a moment, before straightening up again, a frown set in his features.

“Is that the way you treat someone who has saved you from death?”

“What are you talking about? And why are you dressed like that?” The man was about to open his mouth, but Chaeyeon interrupted him, remembering her responsabilities. “It doesn’t matter, I need to go.” She rushed to look for the door, which was also very oddly shaped.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw she was in the middle of nowhere, evident by the lack of roads or even the smallest traces of technology and civilization. It suddenly was too hard to exist, to be, and she collapsed, the weight of everything that had happened to her finally hitting her at once.

The man rushed to her aid, holding her for moment, before making her lie on the dirt. Chaeyeon, try she might, couldn’t get up again. It felt surreal, the feeling that coursed through her body, making her feel as if her own soul was being ripped apart. ‘Something isn’t right’, she thought as the man tried to fan her with his hand. ‘What did he do to me?’

“I told you miss, you shouldn’t be moving too much. It has only been a few days, and your body is still unwell.” She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind from the fog that engulfed her.

“Few days?”

“That’s right. We found you in a bad state, washed up the shore. What happened to you?”

“I...” Chaeyeon stuttered, not knowing how to answer the mans inquiry.

The bag.

The junkie.

The fight.

That... that monster.

The sea.

“I don’t... just, where am I?”

“You’re in the outskirts of Gyesan, not far from the capital.”

“G-gyesan? Wha...” Chaeyeon stuttered. ‘A city named Gyesan? Close to Seoul?’

“Seoul?” the man asked, seemingly confused. Apparently she didn’t have any filter in this moment.

“Yes, Seoul, the capital of...” Chaeyeon trailed off, no daring to finish her sentence. No, what if this man was playing games with her? Or what if he was insane? She couldn’t say anything that would endanger her at all.

“No, sorry,” she answered, trying to reincorporate herself. “Just, how can I get to Busan?”

“Busan? Why would you even want to go to Busan?”

“I... I just need to,” Chaeyeon answered more defensively. What was wrong with him? Dread filled her again. Was he planning on keeping her here?

“But it’s dangerous, miss,” he answered hurriedly.

“Dangerous? How is...” Her voice was drowned by the neigh of a horse. She gaped at the animal, which was just arriving, carrying an old woman and another man on its back.

“What’s going on? What happened to the mermaid?” the man asked while he tried dismounting the old woman.

“She says she wants to go to Busan,” the man holding her answered. The old woman gasped, rushing to meet Chaeyeon.

“What are you saying, child?” the woman exclaimed, her hands grabbing onto Chaeyeon’s. “Do you have family there?”

“I... I do,” Chaeyeon answered quietly, each second that passed by freaking her out even more. Nothing was making sense.

“Poor thing,” the woman murmured. “No, child, you must not turn back. There is nothing left there.”

“What do you mean?” The woman turned to look at her companion, who shared with her a gaze filled with sympathy.

“Busan was destroyed by the sea raiders several moons ago.” Her exclamation only filled them with even more sympathy, but Chaeyeon’s exclamation wasn’t that of grief, but of disbelief.

‘Sea raiders? Attacking Busan? That’s ridiculous. Unless...’

“Uhm, what is the king’s name?” she asked tentatively, hoping she wouldn’t make a fool of herself.

“Are you thinking about going to King Heondeok?” the man holding her asked, flabbergasted.

‘King Heondeok? Of...’

“Silla?”

\--

Chaeyeon asked for more time to rest, her mind reeling at the implication of her interactions with these strange characters.

‘Am I...? No, it’s ridiculous.’

But was it ridiculous? That whole day before falling into the water had seemed strange since the beginning.

“It’s time for you to go,” she murmured as she pinched her arm for the hundredth time. She repeated the same words several times, as if tasting them in her mouth.

It had been real. That man had been real. Her fall to the treacherous ocean had been real. And her being here was real.

“Then, did I time-travel?” The notion still sounded ridiculous in her head, a part of her still expecting a camera crew and a tv host to pop into her room and tell her that she had been pranked. But how could she explain the dirt roads? The ramshackle house? Just... everything. And if she recalled it correctly, when she had ran outdoors, what she had felt then had been...

She had. Somehow, that horrible thing had transported her back into the past. A part of her still didn’t believe it, but if she thought about it, it was best to treat it as reality, and be ridiculed for being pranked, than have it be real, then blabbering on about all of this being a product of her mind, and being treated like a crazy woman.

She’d rather be a crazy woman in modern Korea than in the Kingdom of Silla.

That wasn’t what was the most important, anyways. Her mental health was in the backburner compared to her sisters. It was imperative to leave this place and find them. She figures they definitely could hold on for a few hours, and they wouldn’t starve at all, as dad usually deposited money on their bank account (and Chaeryeong was the one who carried the debit card), and it wasn’t as if they were babies (after all, Chaeryeong was just a year younger, barely 18 years old, and Chaemin was 16).

But what if what that man had said is true? What if she had stayed here for a few days, and she hadn’t gone to work? What if her boss went to look out for her sisters?

She immediately jumped to her feet. There was no time to lose! She needed to go, to protect her sisters from that... that thing.

But she couldn’t run like a madwoman, so she sat down again to think, trying to reign in her fear and panic at the thoughts that were now filling her mind.

If she was in the Unified Kingdom of Silla, then that meant that she was far, far away from the present times. Probably, the 9th century? At this point in time, there was barely anything resembling the technology of industrialization.

What else was there about this time period she could remember? Truth be told, compared to the Joseon era, which she would often see in dramas, she had almost no idea of Silla. In fact, she wasn’t sure how she had managed to link the king’s name to this era. It had just... appeared in her mind.

Wait!

She opened the door to the cottage, looking directly at the three people she had encountered thus far, who were exaggeratedly entranced by the scenery. Narrowing her eyes for a moment, she decided to let it go.

“Excuse me, did you say we’re close to the capital?” she asked softly, this time using formal language.

“Yes, Geumsong is at a week by foot.”

‘A week by foot!’

“Is there a way to get there faster?” The other man, as if psychically conected to the old woman, looked at her at the same time she turned to look at him. After a short showdown, the man seemed to aquiesce.

“I could take you there,” the man said, grunting at the old woman’s elbow hitting his ribs. “And give you some supplies.”

Chaeyeon was surprised.

“Are you sure?” Although she didn’t quite feel embarrassed about the offering, she was skeptical of such hospitality.

“I see it in your eyes. You have a mission. It won’t do well to stop you,” the old woman answered sagely.

“If that’s the case, then you should go disguised,” the owner of the cottage said. The other two nodded.

“Disguised as what?”

“As a man, of course.”

“Yes, a lone woman on the road won’t last long,” the old woman added solemnly. Chaeyeon nodded, knowing they were right. As it was, in her present, she had come close to being taken advantage of several times.

“Then, come with me. I’ll give you some clothes,” the owner of the cottage gestured, standing up.

“Then come back. You’ll need some directions,” the woman called out as Chaeyeon closed the door.

“You leave tomorrow, at the break of dawn, as you’ll have more time to travel then.” He opened a drawer from a small piece of furniture, getting her backpack. “Here are your belongings, everything I could find on the shore, anyways. Also, I don’t know what is this,” he added, holding her cellphone, which she snatched almost immediately. She still held hope that it still worked.

He opened another drawer, taking out some garments. “And this are your garments. I will leave you to change”

“Wait. I don’t even know how to...” The man looked at her for a few moments before opening the door and calling for the older woman, who came quickly to see her after she had taken off her clothes.

“Very well, child. I can see you’re not entirely blinded to the reality of life on the run,” the woman started, grabbing some cloth. “So I can rest assured that you will not take a foolish decision. You do not trust anyone, ANYONE, who crosses your path.” Chaeyeon winced at the pain she felt at her chest. “You talk to no one. You do not let anyone see you, for they might see you alone and attack you. Jingeon can only take you to the capital. Look out for Master Shinyu, as he often employs young lads to do small jobs here and there. Tell him his sweetheart sends you. Do you understand?” Chaeyeon nodded. The woman grabbed the male garments.

“From this moment on, you are not a woman. You are a man. You were born a man. You have always been a man. If you carry that certainty in your heart, nobody will ever discover you. It is imperious for you to not let anyone know of your identity. I’ve seen far too many aimless women have terrible destinies.” The woman smoothed the outer garb she had helped put on. Chaeyeon slided her-his legs down the pants, securing them with the belt.

“Now, do you know how to do your hair?” At Chaeyeon’s negative, the woman softly grabbed his hair.

\--

Hours later, when she was laying on makeshift bed Hyogyeong (the owner of cottage’s name, as she came to know later), her mind reeled at everything that just seemed to be passing in quick succession. Since the moment she had decided that everything was real, and she really had time-travelled to the 9th century, she hadn’t let her mind rumiate over anything, instead, remembering again and again every single thing that she had been told and taught that day.

It was only when her head laid on the floor that her mind, like a pandora box, opened up to reveal a myriad of thoughts.

And, reveling in the loud sound of the insects, she had to contain the long overdue tears, not just for today, but for what this represented, what this ALL had represented. It was to protect her sisters. Everything has and will always be to protect her sisters.

She would not let anyone hurt the people she loves, ever.

She would find her way home.

\--

\--


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to clear up: Chaeyeon will often refer to herself with different pronouns, depending on what she is thinking of or doing... Hope it's not too confusing to follow

Despite knowing it was pretty early in Korean history, when he thought of a city, more so, the capital city, he thought of a huge, beautifully adorned place. Or, at the very least, something that seemed far more... civilized.

He didn’t even know what he expected.

Having parted with Jingeon some time ago, he had been investigating the city on his own, while wishing he didn’t look like a fish out of water. Most likely, he was failing, as several vendors had already tried their luck in selling him stuff that was completely useless. He didn’t have money, anyways.

As far as he had seen, most of the vendors were too sucked into their job that they would stop listening the moment he tried to ask them about this Master Shinyu, which honestly annoyed him.

Locating what seemed to be a small restaurant (how else could he call it?), he approached it, hoping anyone there that knew their way around was willing to disinterestedly help him.

“Excuse me,” he called out, jumping when he was immediately accosted by an older man.

“Hello,” Chaeyeon bowed.

“Oh, why the formalities? You’re here to eat. What do you want?” the man asked enthusiastically.

“Ah, uh. No, that’s not it. I’m sorry. I’m looking for... Master Shinyu?” The man’s chirpy demeanor disappeared, an angry expression appearing in exchange.

“Who’s looking for him?” he asked brusquely, pulling Chaeyeon closer, as if to not let anyone hear.

“His sweetheart sent me,” Chaeyeon asnswered as confidently as he could, hoping he wasn’t about to die.

The man observed his face for a few moments before nodding.

“Follow me,” he said, still pulling Chaeyeon.

When they were at the back of the shop, the man turned around to look for any other person in their close vicinity. He hummed in pleasure when he saw no one.

“Tell me. How is she?” the man asked anxiously.

“Uh, she is doing well.”

“No illness or hunger, right?”

“That’s right. She is healthy.”

“That’s good. That’s a relief.” There was a small silence.

“Well, aren’t you a quiet one,” he teased,  giving Chaeyeon whiplash for the sudden change in demeanor.

“Ah, I was just hoping you would tell me about Master Shinyu.”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re speaking with him.” At Chaeyeon’s look of incredulity, he roared in laughter.

“I couldn’t fool you, eh? Well, at least you’re smart.” He cleared his throat and compose himself. “As I think you’re aware, Master Shinyu often doesn’t give jobs to just anyone. But if his sweetheart sent you...” he winked. “I’m sure he’ll have something for you.” He stepped backwards, leaving much desired space between them.

“Stay for a while here, eat something, and I’ll send you to him at night. There’s someone else I’m sending as well, and I would prefer you two going together.” At Chaeyeon’s nod, he was pulled again to the front of the restaurant.

“So, sit wherever you please. I’ll bring you something to eat in a moment.” Chaeyeon thanked him, walking to sit at the further left table.

“Here is some water. You must thirsty.” He was parched. Unfortunately, their water supply had ended two days ago, so they had been relying on puddles they found on the way. One of Chaeyeon’s worst travelling experiences, to be sure. Drinking the water hurriedly, he barely evaded choking on the liquid, and it made him reminisce the first time he woke up in this strange world.

While waiting for food, he grabbed his now frayed backpack, and looked for the only thing connecting him to his present now. Grabbing the cellphone, he pressed the ‘turn on’ button, praying under his breath that it would work. Mentally cheering when it did, his heart ached when he saw his phone’s wallpaper.

There was no signal (what was he expecting, anyway?), and it only had 50% of battery, so Chaeyeon decided to turn the phone off again. While there wasn’t much for her to do with his phone, there was a small voice inside him that told him it could be of use somewhere in the future.

Inside his backback there had only been his old clothes, some crackers (he’d need those later), and some deliveries she still had needed to make back in the present. He tried humoring himself by rearranging the backpack again and again while his mind still ran over the current events.

‘Whoever that Master Shinyu is, what he is doing is done in secret. Whatever job I’m about to get is either dangerous or a secret, probably both. But what else can I do? The only other way to not starve would be to learn to do something, but I don’t think many people would openly teach a stranger a job if they aren’t family.’

“Here,” the man said as he placed a bowl of rice gruel on his table. Chaeyeon thanked him again. When he left, he raised the spoon to smell the meal. It seemed like normal gruel, not much different from present day gruel. He digged into it then.

The travel to Geumsong had been difficult, but one of the things that had made him smile in those days was the impromptu lessons on how to be a man by Jingeon. It was obvious the young man hadn’t trusted her at first, often calling her a mermaid, probably believing she was one and was about to kill him and his companion. However, he had seemed to melt a little after a day or two. By then, he had decided to help her to become a man, a convincing man.

By now, Chaeyeon had mostly nailed a more masculine (but not exaggeratedly so) voice, a more relaxed, but confident countenance, and some notions that she already had known about men. The most difficult would always be to, ahem, relieve her bladder. It had been extremely embarrassing to try and pee like a man did, having needed to wash her pants on a close lake. He guessed that this matter would always be the most cumbersome to deal with.

Now, the most important thing was to look for information about time traveling. There had to be some, he was sure. If there was some mythology book he could read, maybe he could find something about said creature, and, with it, a way back home.

Why had that monster sent her there? What was the purpose of sending a young women a millennium back? Or was he doing it for a laugh? Whatever the case, Chaeyeon needed to find literature. Though, if he thought about it, at this point in time, who had the biggest access to literature? The nobles. There had to be another way.

“I see you have finished. You are free to roam around the city. Just come at dusk, and DON’T. CAUSE. TROUBLE,” the man announced, taking her now empty bowl.

Chaeyeon sighed, debating in his head whether it was a good idea or not to investigate around the city. He might find something interesting, but what if he got lost? Eh, what was the possibility that he’d get lost?

Grabbing her backpack, he turned to leave, before a man’s voice stopped him.

“Leave that sack here! I’ll take care of it.” Chaeyeon was hesitant to do so, but at the man’s prompting, he handed the backpack. He only hoped it wasn’t a misstep.

The town, aside from it’s vendors wasn’t all that interesting. He obviously wasn’t the only traveller, as many people seemed to come from other cities to trade and buy. The busyness of it reminded him of the stalls that were put up Saturday mornings, where she and her mom would often look out for nice offers. It had been a series of lessons her mother had given her, so that, as the older sibling, would be able to cook for the rest of the family, should she ever be away.

It had been useful, at some point.

Anything else was just other houses, which were far more tranquil and intimate. Some people turned to look at him as he passed by, probably not used to having a traveller skim through the neighborhoods in the city. Either that, or they thought he was planning to rob them or something.

It was better to return to the market.

However, at the far off left corner of one of the neighborhoods, there was commotion, and, against Chaeyeon’s own common sense, he decided to investigate.

He didn’t have to. There was a throng of people, getting alarmingly closer, that were pursuing a young man, who looked like he was having the time of his life. Chaeyeon, knowing he would probably get trampled on, started running as well.

He didn’t know anymore where he was going, he just knew he had to find his way back to the restaurant.

Out of nowhere a hand grabbed his arm. His head snapped towards the left, where he saw the young man who was also fleeing.

“What are you doing?!” Chaeyeon almost screamed at the young man. Now he would also be pursued by the throng!

“You are quite fast, eh. I can barely keep up,” the young man answered amiably, ignoring Chaeyeon’s question (and panic).

He was guided by the young man through the narrow streets, seemingly trying to lose his pursuers, which was all fine and dandy with Chaeyeon, but why did he grab onto him, making it seem like he was part of whatever that idiot was doing?

Finally, they jumped over a wall, where the young man rested against, breathing heavily. Chaeyeon was still disbelieving over the whole thing (and, he grumpily had to admit, was a little worried about the man, who was still wheezing), so he stayed still as well. The sounds of the crowd were getting farther away, so there was no more threat.

“Hey, hello,” the young man greeted when he finally had recovered his breath.

“What was that?” Chaeyeon asked, now less panicked and angry than a few minutes before, but still peeved at the whole situation.

“Oh, that. Well, they were just being unnecessarily violent.” The man scratched his neck.

“Sure, and I’m the queen of England,” Chaeyeon retorted.

“Who?” the man asked, puzzled. Right.

“I don’t believe you,” Chaeyeon mended with less bite in his voice.

“It was unnecesary!” the man insisted more enthusiastically. “Just because I was talking to a pretty girl...” he trailed off.

“What did you even tell that girl,” Chaeyeon grumbled. “Anyways,” she started, standing up. “Have a nice life.” Chaeyeon mentally winced when the man grabbed onto his arm again.

“Wait. What is your name?”

“Why do you even need to know? We are not seeing each other again.”

“I’m Choi Yena. Just arrived at the city two days ago.” Chaeyeon hummed, trying to get his arm out of Yena’s grip. “There, I told you my name. Tell me yours.”

“This is not a trade off,” Chaeyeon answered, exasperated. Why had he even felt sympathy for this man?

“I’m pretty sure you just arrived too. Let’s help each other!”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Although an offer of money would have been nice, I’m not asking for that.”

“So what do you want?”

“I want your friendship, of course!”

“What?” Chaeyeon was now confused.

“See, I just came to this city, and I have no idea what to do! I think I just got myself a new job, but I am not sure of what else to do! You seem pretty young, too. How old are you?”

“Mind your own business.”

“Sixteen? Seventeen?”

“Nineteen,” Chaeyeon acquiesced.

“Right, just nineteen. A year younger than me! Wow, you are pretty weak looking for being nineteen,” Yena blurted out loud the last part, making Chaeyeon want to hit him. “I’m pretty sure you have no idea what to do with yourself here in the city. I could try and get you to work alongside me, and you could help me later on! I got your back and you got mine, too!” I mean, it made sense, but Chaeyeon remembered the old woman’s words clearly. You do not trust anyone. You do not speak to anyone.

He had already gone against the second advice.

But that was when he was on the road, right? And, if he looked at Yena, he seemed pretty harmless, almost like an overly excited (misbehaving) puppy. At this time and age, people, aside from the nobles, were rarely that deceptive. Peasants tended to be more honest in their intentions, good or bad... Right?

“I am Lee Chaeyeon,” he finally revealed.

“Oh, oh! Lee Chaeyeon, pleased to make your acquaintance!” Yena babbled enthusiastically, standing up to bow repeated times.

“Likewise,” Chaeyeon bowed awkwardly.

“So, where were you going?” Yena asked.

“Oh, just looking around. It’s my first time at the capital.”

“Oh, mine too! So, what do you think?”

“Eh, nothing especial.”

“Ey, don’t try to look tough! I bet this is the first time you have ever been to a city this big!”

“Well, it is the first time I have ever seen a city like this.” And that wasn’t a lie, either.

“Hah, well, Mister Tough, lead the way.”

“Huh?” Yena smiled mischievously.

“Well, you said you were looking around, let’s look around together then!”

\--

They had spent the rest of the remaning daylight walking through the city. The problem was that that sentence simplified things. In reality, Yena had spent the time curiously looking around, and Chaeyeon had tried his best to keep the young man out of trouble. After all, they would linked together, at least, by most people who saw them. There was no way for him to have Yena do something dumb and not be blamed as well.

It wasn’t all bad. Yena was a pretty funny guy, pretty worry-free as well, which was a bit surprising, considering his background. He had, at some point, talked about his own origin, had asked Chaeyeon about his, as well, but the latter had been more or less mum. Despite Yena’s niceness, Chaeyeon wasn’t too keen on sharing his life story (what he could share without being seen as crazy, anyway). He knew one day he was going to leave this place, and it was useless to become attached to people in this era. He would only leave them behind.

Nevertheless, Yena was the son of peasants who worked in the fields in the province of Sakju (where was that, Chaeyeon had no idea). He had two older brothers, who now worked in the fields as well. Due to their precarious situation, the young man had decided to leave home and try his luck in the city, hoping to relieve his parents’ burden.

The problem was, this dolt, when he arrived, had no idea about anything at all. Everything he had ever known was farming, and as things were in this era, there was no climbing the social ladder. You were born a peasant, you died a peasant, which made Yena’s journey to Geumsong a gamble. With no knowledge of any craft, didn’t even know how to read or write (though most of the population didn’t, either), he had nowhere to go, so he dedicated the two days he had been in the city to charming people out of spare food and causing trouble.

Chaeyeon had laughed like he hadn’t in a while, partially because of the way he told his stories, partially because of his bouts of clumsiness. It was nice to not be the clumsy one for once.

The sun was already diving in the horizon, which made Chaeyeon remember his own duties.

“Hey, I have to go now,” he interrupted one of Yena’s stories.

“W-what? Why?”

“It’s already late.” Yena looked around and jumped.

“That’s right! There is somewhere I need to be, too! Where is our rendezvous point?”

“Uh, let’s meet in front of the restaurant.”

"Boo, that’s not fun.” Yena pouted.

‘What is he? Five?’

“Fine, let’s see each other later.” And with that, Chaeyeon ran towards the restaurant, hoping to find the man (and her bag intact).

The man was standing right in front of the restaurant, backpack in hand, which made Chaeyeon internally sigh in relief.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” the man answered impassively.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Chaeyeon bowed.

“It’s fine. Let us go.”

The walk towards Master Shinyu’s was a quiet one. Most people were already leaving to their homes, which made the environment a calm one.

Chaeyeon gaped at Master Shinyu’s home, which was, surprisingly, big and luxurious. It made him immediately think of the old woman back in that cottage. How was she related to the owner of this huge thing and still lived in such a place?

The guards at the door bowed their head at the owner of the restaurant (who was still holding onto his backpack), and crossed the entrance. A servant walked briskly towards them.

“Welcome, the Master is waiting for you at the room in the east.” The older man nodded, gesturing for Chaeyeon to follow him.

If the young man were to be optimistic about the whole situation, he would think about how this was a one in a million chance, to see the historic glamour and luxury he would only read of in books. The architecture of the whole place was something he couldn’t quite describe. The level of detail it had was amazing.

They passed by more servants, and Chaeyeon could only wonder who was this character and how did he have this many riches. A noble? Or a merchant?

The doors opened revealing a esplendorous, but nearly empty room, that had not much but a few mats and a small table. A man was sitting at the end of said table, apparently drinking tea.

“Welcome, welcome,” a deep voice boomed in the room as soon as both men entered it. “I see you’ve brought a guest! What’s your name, boy?”

“I’m Lee Chaeyeon,” he answered, trying to appear as manly as he could.

“Is he here to take a job?”

“Your sweetheart sends him,” the older man said calmly. The rich man’s face brightened at his words.

“Is that true?” At Chaeyeon’s agreement, he laughed joyfully. “My, my, haven’t seen that woman in years. She refuses to see me, but asks me a favor for a simple boy!” Putting his hands on his lap, he continued. “How is she?”

“She’s doing well and is healthy,” Chaeyeon answered.

“What else can you tell me? How has she lived these past few years?”

“I don’t know, sir. I only stayed in that town for a brief time,” the young man half-lied, hoping that his non-existent relationship to the old woman wouldn’t get him kicked out.

“So you are not her grandson, nor have a close relationship to her?” the man questioned, his eyebrow raised in skepticism.

“No, sir.”

“Hmm, that woman really is the worst,” the man concluded after taking a sip of tea. “Well, what are you both waiting for? Sit down. More tea will be served very soon.”

Both men sat down, the older man sitting closer to the rich man. He handed Chaeyeon his bag, which he accepted gratefully.

“Did that woman even tell you who am I, boy?” the man asked as he grabbed a biscuit. Chaeyeon debated quickly in her head whether to lie or not, but decided against it. He was sure he would be found out.

“She only told me you would help me,” he answered instead.

“How bold,” the man exclaimed as he chewed the biscuit. He swallowed it, to then continue. “Well, my name is Park Shinyu, and my profession is that of mercantilism. My business network extends to the entirety of Silla, and it sells just about anything under the sun.” He grabbed another biscuit. “I usually require servants or people who are willing to transport goods to wherever is needed, but I do not think I will employ you for that.” He handed Chaeyeon the biscuit, who took it from him rather hesitantly.

“What will you have me do?” Chaeyeon asked, internally surprised at her naturally spouted formal language.

“There is something I commerce with far more valuable than gold or silver. And that is, information. There are couriers that I reserve especially for this task. What they carry are letters, but not just any letter. The letters they are required to take have important, vital information, or interesting messages meant to be kept secret. The couriers I usually require are to be physically strong, agile, and sly.” Master Shinyu gave Chaeyeon a look, as if to say he definitely did not filled the requirements. “However, since that woman has sent you to me, I trust her judgment.”

“I will deliver these letters?”

“You will. Not alone, of course, as the nature of this job is sensitive and dangerous.”

“Master, Youngjin has arrived.”

“Splendid! Let him pass.” The man named Youngjin was a tall, dark man, who seemed like he could easily snap Chaeyeon into two. He bowed at them, and Chaeyeon felt the need to reciprocate, but when he saw the rest of the men refrain from doing so, he did as well.

“Master, I have finished briefing the new recruits and leaving them in their quarters.”

“Excelent. Youngjin, this is Lee Chaeyeon, a new courier. Boy, this is your new leader. You will defer to him from now on, and he will be in charge of every delivery you will make.” Chaeyeon finally bowed to the man, who looked back at him stoically. “One more thing, do you know how to read?” the young man shook his head. “Good, good. But I will give you this warning, just in case. If I ever come to know you know about the content of any of the letters, whether you were the one to the deliver them or not, Youngjin will make sure to shut your mouth permanently. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Chaeyeon answered, a shiver running down his spine.

“Well, off you go.” Confused, Chaeyeon stood up to leave, turning to look at the owner of the restaurant, who only gestured for him to follow Youngjin.

“Thank you, sir,” he finally said before leaving with the gigantic man. She felt a weird pang in her stomach at the thought of leaving the owner of the restaurant behind. Maybe it was because he represented stability and warmth (a strange kind of it), but there was no turning back. He didn’t know how to go back to his time, and for now, he had to survive, no matter what.

“Well, boy,” the man cleared his throat, making Chaeyeon immediately shake those thoughts away. “It seems you have come to the service of Master Shinyu. He is not a bad master to have at all, as he is rather generous with those who deserve it, and you seem to have gotten in his grace. Don’t waste it, kid.”

“No, sir.”

“Your quarters will be on the west side of the property, along with everyone else.” Chaeyeon felt panic rise at his words. “Despite your special job, it does not have much business, so it is often true that we use couriers to deliver goods as well. Train hard, be smart, and you will have a nice living.”

“Yes, sir.”

There was no more talk from the tall, stoic man, and Chaeyeon found it impertinent to try start a conversation. Not that he wanted to. Despite the late hour, servants, both men and women, still ran around the property, which made the young man question the amount of people living in this state. Probably Master Shinyu’s offspring. Whatever the case, he felt jealousy at the thought of living freely, without the need to work to pay the bills or long overdue debts. Only peace and enjoyment. How would it be for her and her sisters to live in such a place?

The quarters of the workers was, as expected, the complete opposite of the state itself. There was no luxury in the large shack, meant to house god knows how many smelly men. The man stopped at one of the shacks, gesturing at the door.

“This is your barrack. There are no changes. You will sleep here every night you spend here, and likewise, nobody will be allowed to sleep in your place. Wake up at dawn, there’s is something I want to go over with you.” Chaeyeon nodded, opening the door to the barracks, immediately scrunching up his nose at the smell. There was a candle hung next to the door, which meant he had limited visibility, but enough to see which mats were occupied. His seemed to be at the end of the barracks. Tugging the handle of his backpack, he crossed the room, carefully inspecting the faces of those who he would share sleep with. Most were already grown man, probably in their mid to late twenties, except for one baby-faced man...

“Is that...? No, I am hallucinating,” Chaeyeon chanted in his head. Putting the backpack next to the mat, he immediately lay under the slim cover. Is this all he had? He really wished he could cry and lament his situation, but now was not the time. Now, it was the time to clear his head, and get himself out of this situation.

Actually, it was time to sleep.

Despite the thoughts running through his head, he managed to fall asleep pretty quickly, probably exhausted by the day’s events.

\--

\--


	3. Chapter 3

“Chaeyeon.” He was being shaked awake wildly, a whisper resounding in his ear, making Chaeyeon wake up, instantly completely alert.

“What! What! What is it!?” he gasped when he saw a very awake (and very ecstatic) Choi Yena.

“Chaeyeon-ah,” he chanted again as he grabbed him in a hug. The young man grunted in pain.

“Did I hurt you?” Yena asked hurriedly.

“No, no, just... My chest hurts,” Chaeyeon supplied. He had entirely forgotten to unbind his breasts, and the pain now was formidable. It hurt to even breath.

“Oh, oh. Are you ill? What should we do?” Yena released him from the embrace.

“No, I just need to take a breather.”

“I’ll go with you!”

“No! I mean, I need to go to the bathroom, too.”

“Well, I’ll go with you. I also need to go.” Chaeyeon sighed inwardly.

“Alright.” Yena, despite the late hour, was pretty energetic, looking like he was basically containing himself from talking, knowing that waking up the rest of the men was not the best idea.

When they finally were outside, Yena spoke.

“Chaeyeon-ah, I thought I truly wouldn’t see you again. I thought my matters would settle quickly and I would be able to meet you later, but everything lasted longer than expected. When we were led here I had forgotten that you were probably waiting there for me, and I fell asleep like a bear,” he explained anxiously, gesturing wildly with his hands.

“It’s fine. I also couldn’t go meet you either.”

“Great! I mean, not great that we couldn’t meet there, but great that you didn’t have to wait for me at all.”

“Yeah, well,” Chaeyeon answered impassively, his thoughts on the problem he had on his hands. He would take away the bindings inside the bathroom, and then what? His breasts had always been small, and he hoped they were small enough to go unseen in the dark.

The bathroom was hidden behind some foliage, giving Chaeyeon some relief.

“Alright. I’ll enter first.” Yena nodded, and Chaeyeon took that as sign to open the door, and enter the room.

The space was negligent, but for that moment it had to do.

The bandage take off was difficult in such space, to the point of there being several times in which Chaeyeon fell into the letrine. Her body sang in relief (and soreness) when she finally managed to take them off.

‘Where do I put them?’ he asked to himself, the only solution being to hide them in his robes. He did so as best as he could, to then open the door to leave the bathroom.

“I’m done,” he announced to a bored-looking Yena.

“Ah, it’s fine. It crawled back up.” Chaeyeon grimaced in disgust.

“Alright then,” Chaeyeon sat next to Yena, who was now looking at the stars.

“Have you ever wondered if there is a purpose for the stars?”

“No.”

“I like to think they are the spirits of the gods, willing to take care of us here on earth.” Chaeyeon just hummed, turning to look at Yena when he felt his faze on him. “At least, I believe they will take care of me now that I am very far from home. It makes me feel like there is nothing I can’t do.” Chaeyeon’s heart ached in sympathy, which made her chastise herself.

“You haven’t told me much about yourself.” Chaeyeon sighed.

“I have two sisters. I need to find my way back home, to them,” it felt difficult to say, as if a bitterness coated his throat and mouth as soon as the words left him.

“Then you and I are very alike. We’re both away from home,” Yena replied more calmly, as if all the energy in his body had zapped away during the time Chaeyeon had been in the bathroom.

“Farther away than you think,” Chaeyeon mumbled under his breath.

“To tell the truth, I was very afraid when I first arrived here. I had no one to rely on anymore, and there was nowhere for me to go. It was by mere luck that I landed this job, and by mere luck I managed to find you.” The young man turned to look at Chaeyeon. “Since I first saw you, you seemed friendly, somehow collected. I may be older than you, but I feel like I can rely on you. You are reliable.” He turned to look at the night sky again. “I know I ambushed you with my presence and demands, but I just... I don’t want to feel afraid. I don’t want to be alone in this big world. I want someone to rely on.”

Chaeyeon couldn’t deny how touched he felt at his words, and, although their lives had nothing in common, their feelings were one and the same, feelings that Chaeyeon had always felt, ever since her mom died. At the time, she hadn’t permitted herself to cry, thinking that it was now up to her to take care of her sisters. As time went on, and her father became a mess, she confirmed her own belief to be true, and throughout everything she’d had to do, she’d had to swallow her fear, her naivette, and her pride, never once wanting her sisters to see the ugliness in her.

“Chaeyeon, are you crying?”

“Huh?” he touched his cheeks, feeling the wetness coating them. Wiping his tears hurriedly, he hid his face from Yena.

“Wow, I can’t believe I just saw Mister Tough Guy, Lee Chaeyeon, cry like a little girl,” he laughed, nudging Chaeyeon with his elbow.

“Shut up, asshole,” the younger man bit back, a reluctant smile peeking from his lips, pushing Yena when he finished wiping his tears.

They stayed the rest of the night watching the sky, sparsely speaking to each other. Chaeyeon felt grateful for the silence.

\--

In the morning, right after Chaeyeon rushed to bind his breasts, he found himself at a court not too far from the barracks. Youngjin hadn’t arrived yet, so it left him with time to school himself to a calmer expression.

Staying awake until the break of dawn hadn’t been the best idea, that he knew now. Despite having had an uneventful, but enjoyable time with his new friend, exhaustion now coursed through his body. He had done it before, hundreds of times, to the point that his sleep schedule back home was a mess, but it hadn’t affected him at all. He could, more or less, always operate on auto-pilot, almost unconsciously going about his day. Now, it seemed that the world he was in now demanded more of his body, and a bad night sleep just made him fare badly.

He heard his neck snap as a force sent him to the ground. Gaping, he looked at the burly man who now towered over him.

“If you ever were to be like this on one errand, you’re bound to get killed,” the man said. Chaeyeon thought it to be fair, he was distracted. He tried to collect his wits and stand up, but the man, instead, tried attacking him with a wooden stick. Being more alert, Chaeyeon evaded the stick. The man swung the stick again, making Chaeyeon roll to his right, so that he could stand up quickly.

The man moved the stick slightly, positioning himself in an defensive position.

“You seem to be fast,” the man expressed, and, again, gave Chaeyeon no time to respond, as he tried hitting Chaeyeon with the point of the stick. The young man easily moved back, then moved to the left to avoid being striked. Chaeyeon moved, then, as fast as he could, trying to avoid Youngjin’s quick attacks. It reached a point where he was almost doing automatically, barely having to think about where to move or what to do.

“You are really agile, and your reflexes are good,” Youngjin said. Unexpectedly, he threw the stick at Chaeyeon, who ducked. It wasn’t the correct move, as Youngjin rapidly grabbed Chaeyeon’s arm and maneuvered him into a headlock. “But you don’t know how to predict your rival’s moves.” As Chaeyeon had done it before (and in a sense of dejavu), he kicked Youngjin’s shin. However, this time, his rival didn’t budge an inch, still grabbing her head in a tight embrace. “And you are weak.” He finally let Chaeyeon go, who coughed as his lungs filled again with precious oxygen.

“You are not as bad as I thought you were, boy. I think you will do just fine.”

Chaeyeon, still wheezing, slightly bowed. “Thank you, sir.” He knew there was no room for any other words.

“Well, I thought I would get to play around with you for a while, but it seems that you have enough ability to make it on your own. Return to your barracks, I will soon call for you.” Chaeyeon obeyed, bowing again.

Returning to the barracks, he was met with a sight that made him avert his gaze on reflex.

“Oh, Chaeyeon! We were called to the stable! Are you coming with us?” Yena asked, a little weirded out by Chaeyeon’s attitude.

“I-I don’t know. Master Youngjin told me to wait for him in the barracks,” Chaeyeon stuttered.

‘Get ahold of yourself! You are a man, too!’ The young man forced himself to look straight at Yena and disregard the changing men surrounding him.

“Alright, well. I’ll see you later then, Chaeyeon!” Yena answered, having already finished dressing. He rushed towards the other man who were already heading towards the stables.

Crossing the room, he sat on his mat, waiting for everyone to leave. One by one, each man left the barracks, barely sparing a glance at Chaeyeon, who tried his damnedest to blend with his own mat.

It took a while after everyone had already left for Youngjin to arrive, and when he came to see Chaeyeon, he came with another person.

“Boy,” the man greeted, giving a short nod with his head. The man behind him gave no greeting, but he looked as he was the same as Chaeyeon, a delivery worker.

“Sir,” Chaeyeon greeted, bowing before standing up.

“This is Daehwi. You will accompany him to take a letter to Jinju, to teacher Kim. The letter will be given to you at the far right side of the outer palace wall. As soon as you receive it, you both will go on. Teacher Kim is going to be waiting for you at on the flower pavilion, only at nighttime. Any questions?” At Chaeyeon’s negative, the man gave a wry smile. “Good, off you go.”

Daewhi, who had been quiet and stoic during Chaeyeon’s and Youngjin’s interaction, was now more affable, smiling at Chaeyeon as they went on their way to receive the letter.

“This is your first job, eh?”

“Yes. I recon it’s not yours?”

“No, I have been doing it for a while, but it’s the first time I have been put in charge of someone.” At that, Daehwi puffed up his chest in pride.

“So we were sent on a suicide mission?” Chaeyeon asked teasingly, hoping to see a nice reaction out of the man.

“Of course not! Rest assured, I am strong and agile, I won’t let my dongsaeng die on his first delivery.”

“How do you know I am your dongsaeng?”

“How could you not be my dongsaeng? What are you, fifteen? Sixteen?”

“Nineteen.”

“Woah. You aren’t messing with me?” At Chaeyeon’s arched brow, he let out an amazed “Woah”.

“Sorry, hyung. Anyways, I have worked here longer than you, so I won’t let you die.”

“I am in your care, then,” Chaeyeon said. “So, if the letters we deliver are a secret, why are we getting this one in the morning?”

“Well, as far as I know, the client said that there were people watching over them at night, so an inconspicuous meeting in the midst of daylight is less suspicious.”

“Makes sense. And, how are we travelling?”

“Well, the supplies we are taking are minimal. Master Youngjin calculated that we would collide with a caravan going back to Geumsong, so we are meant to ask for some supplies from them. We aren’t going through the main roads because we could be intercepted.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound complicated at all.”

“We are couriers. Did you expect something else? Going on carriages?”

“No, I am just making an observation.”

“Well, let’s hurry then. This one letter must be delivered as soon as possible.”

\--

The travel wasn’t anything that Chaeyeon didn’t expect. It was just like his journey to the capital, except with more care and secrecy. Daehwi, although effectively younger than him, was obviously more experienced than him. However, Chaeyeon, having had experience in selling drugs, knew a thing or two about security measures for them. Nothing had happened in the first days of travelling, except one night.

Chaeyeon had been having a dream-less sleep, when a rustling shook him completely awake. Looking at her side, she saw Daehwi sleeping soundly. Extending his hand as slowly as possible, he pinched Daehwi’s leg, waking him up instantly. He looked at Chaeyeon, who only put a finger on his mouth, signaling with his other hand to listen.

There it was.

Daehwi looked into Chaeyeon’s eyes, communicating wordlessly that they would run in the opposite direction of the sounds.

At the count of three, they ran, and immediately heard a man hollering behind them. Turning back, Chaeyeon saw three men pursuing them. Their clothes were tattered, so that meant they weren’t sent to kill them. Or were they?

It was difficult losing them, as the men were also fast and the foliage wasn’t thick enough to blend with it. Fighting didn’t seem like an option for them, as they were obviously more inexperienced and the men probably had knives.

“We aren’t losing them. Take the letter and I’ll distract them,” Daehwi panted.

“Are you insane? There are three of them. What if they kill you?”

“I won’t die,” Daehwi answered.

“You are being an idiot. If you charge towards them, I’ll stay, too.”

“They are not as strong as they look, and they most likely don’t know how to fight. They are thieves, they only rob weak people.”

“The more reason for me to stay. I am not as useless as I look,” Chaeyeon said firmly.

“Okay, then, hyung. What do you suggest?” Daehwi asked rhetorically, but Chaeyeon did take the challenge.

“If I’m not mistaken, we passed a ditch. If we managed to fool them into falling into it, we would shake them off.”

“And how to fool them?”

“We could try and hide in the foliage, make them believe we fell into the ditch. When they come to see, we push them into it.”

“It’s a risky plan.”

“But it’s better than engaging them. We are not fighters.”

“That much is true.”

And so they did. Finding some bushes next to a tree, they hid there, huddling as close as they could, hoping they wouldn’t be found before time.

“Where are they? Where are those kids?” the man, who seemed the leader, asked.

“Boss, they probably fell on the ditch.”

“No, they wouldn’t be that stupid, would they?”

Both young men looked in rapt attention as the boss walked closer to the ditch, his underlings following behind him.

“Should we?” Daehwi whispered.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Chaeyeon answered in equal quietness.

They sneaked behind the men, crawling slowly as to avoid making sounds. At Daehwi’s prompt, Chaeyeon hit the back of an underling’s knee, weakening his leg enough to fall into the ditch at his push. Daehwi also pushed the other underling, who, aided by a small rock, also fell into the ditch. The only one left was the boss, but both young men decided to run instead of staying to fight the man.

“You pieces of shit!” the boss roared as he ran behind them, as opposed to helping his underlings, like Daehwi and Chaeyeon expected.

Maybe he was fueled by his anger and wounded pride, but his speed was greater, managing to catch Daehwi’s robe and yank him towards him. The latter managed to avoid the knife the man tried to plunge into him, getting out of the man’s grasp.

Chaeyeon also stopped, looking back and forth at Daehwi and the man.

“If you just had stayed asleep, we would just have taken your supplies, but you had to wake up. Now I’m not letting you get away,” he announced menacingly.

Daehwi was on the ground, making the other young man realize that, although Daewhi hadn’t been stabbed, he had been hurt by the knife. Chaeyeon got closer to the man, hoping to have him place his attention on him. Predictably enough, the man tried attacking him.

Chaeyeon evaded the swings easily, moving backwards to make the man turn his back on Daehwi.

“Stop moving!” the man angrily exclaimed, still swinging at Chaeyeon.

As he was getting tired (and more panicked), Chaeyeon had to think quickly. Moving unexpectedly to the right after the man had taken another swing at him, he slapped the knife, managing to make the man throw it onto the floor and hurt his own hand. Hissing, he tried grabbing the knife, but was embraced by the man, who threw him onto the floor. In desperation, Chaeyeon grabbed onto his pants, pulling them down, effectively managing to take the man off-guard, enough to quickly crawl and snatch the knife away.

The man tried to grab Chaeyeon, but he was faster, plunging his knife into his ankle. The man howled in pain, falling to the ground, unable to keep himself standing up.

Hurrying to aid Daehwi, Chaeyeon only took another cursory glance at the man, knowing it would be near impossible for him to stand up again, even less to run after them.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just a scratch,” Daehwi responded, revealing a superficial cut on his hand.

“You-” Chaeyeon said, surprised, still heaving.

“I waited to see how long could you hold up without needing my help, but you never needed my help at all.”

“So this was just a test.” Chaeyeon didn’t know whether to be angry, frustrated, or indignant, and in the end chose a combination of all three.

“Not really. At least, not in the way you think it is. I saw you easily evading his attacks, so I wanted to see what you could do.”

“And?”

“I don’t know how did I ever mistake you as a dongsaeng.” Daehwi flashed a smile at him.

“Wow, what an honor,” Chaeyeon answered in a monotone, making Daehwi laugh.

“Yeah, yeah. I know you don’t need my approval, but you have it anyways. Let’s go.”

\--

The rest of the journey was quiet, and Chaeyeon found out how monotonous it could be seeing the same environment day and night, only being able to cross through it, hoping that they were going through the right path.

Delivering the letter wasn’t that difficult either. Dirty and unkempt, they raised no one’s suspicions. Their clothes were those of any other peasant, so they just blended right it, making it easy for them to give the letter to whomever was Teacher Kim.

When they were coming back, however, they encountered a caravan that was apparently taking some supplies to Gyeongsu. Coincidentally, he found Yena, who was now wearing a farmer hat, trying to make one of his companions laugh, and failing.

Daehwi asked them for some supplies, and the leader of the caravan, Baegeon, who seemed to be a friend of Daehwi’s told them to stay for the night.

“So, how did it go? Did you encounter something exciting?” Yena asked as everyone sat around a fire, eating some meat.

“Just some thieves. We managed to escape,” Chaeyeon answered as nonchalantly as he could, wanting to not make a big deal out of it. Thankfully, his own hand injury hadn’t been deep, either, so it was easier to hide.

“Well, at least that’s more exciting than what we have gone through thus far,” Yena shrugged. “You see that guy?” he continued, pointing at a man who was now devouring his meal. “He doesn’t laugh, ever. I took him as a challenge, but no luck so far. He doesn’t budge. He just walks there, all high and mighty, probably thinking he is better than us.”

“He can’t be that bad,” Chaeyeon countered. “Maybe he has no sense of humor.”

“Only a dead person has no sense of humor,” Yena grumbled, making Chaeyeon roll his eyes. There are many people Chaeyeon has known that either have no sense of humor or have a very distorted one.

“Well, have you only spoken to that guy?” Chaeyeon asked, truly curious about Yena’s journey.

“Well, no. There are other guys that I’ve been talking to, but honestly, they are not that interesting.”

“So you have a special interest in that guy?” Chaeyeon teased Yena, wiggling his eyebrows. Yena only looked at him in horror.

“Shut up. I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea by hearing your non-sense.” Chaeyeon cackled.

“Well, I don’t know about you, tough guy, but I’m pretty beat. I’m already going to sleep,” Yena said, stretching his arms.

“You go ahead. I’ll be taking a bath.”

“A bath? In that shallow lake?”

“Better than anywhere else.” Chaeyeon stuck his tongue out. In reality, he hadn’t felt safe enough when he was traveling with Daehwi, so taking a bath was completely out of the question. Now, though, there was a group of people, probably more prepared to take out any petty thief. The guy without a sense of humor seemed capable enough. And, it seemed more improbable that someone would come out looking for him and discover his secret.

“Fine, fine. Good night. Don’t drown.”

Chaeyeon walked to the lake. Nearing towards a bush, he slowly took off his clothes, tuning his ears to any person trying to find him. He decided on not feeling the water’s temperature first, instead, getting into the lake immediately, knowing that, regardless of the temperature, he would still want to take a bath.

Carefully rinsing her body, Chaeyeon sighed in pleasure. It had been the first time she had taken a bath in weeks. What would happen when she was in her period? The mere thought made her cringe.

Her mind, now completely empty of the urgency of the day to day tasks, invariably went to her sisters. What would Chaeryeong be doing at this hour? Probably already asleep, Chaemin at her side. Or that’s what Chaeyeon would rather believe.

“Chaeyeon!” She screamed as a young man jumped from the shadows.

“Hahaha! I can’t believe Mister Tough Guy would...” Yena’s voiced trailed off as his expression morphed into one of surprise and confusion.

“C-Chaeyeon?”


	4. Chapter 5

“Chaeyeon!” She screamed as a young man jumped from the shadows.

“Hahaha! I can’t believe Mister Tough Guy would...” Yena’s voiced trailed off as his expression morphed into one of surprise and confusion.

“C-Chaeyeon?” he asked tremulously.

“Y-yes?” Chaeyeon stuttered, now covering her body with her arms. Yena started screaming, making Chaeyeon jump out of the water. Seeing the man who was clearly a woman come near, Yena walked backwards, screaming even more.

“Yena. Yena. Yena!” Chaeyeon finally got close enough to slap his head, effectively shutting him up.

“You... you are...”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Chaeyeon pleaded, knowing what she could expect if everyone else found out.

“A woman. You are a woman,” Yena completed his sentence.

“You can’t tell anybody. Do you know what they’ll do to me?” Chaeyeon pleaded again. Yena seemed to be trying to get himself together, but in the meantime, he asked awkwardly, “Uhm, could you please put on some...?”

“Ah, yes.” Chaeyeon’s face burned bright as she put her clothes on. It didn’t matter anymore if she was still wet. When she turned to look at Yena, he was now covering his eyes with his hands.

“You can look now.” At the prompt, Yena took his hands away from his face.

The silence was awkward and pained. Chaeyeon wanted to plead with Yena again, else she would have to run away, but Yena seemed to still be processing it.

“So,” Yena started after a long time. “Does this mean you are now Miss Tough Girl...?” At Yena’s awkward (and terribly unfunny) joke, Chaeyeon laughed, feeling relief course through every limb in her body. She hadn’t even noticed how winded up she was. Yena also laughed, each second passing less awkwardly, until he sounded like his joking self.

“I get it, Chaeyeon. I really do,” he said more soberly when their laughter had died out.

“I don’t want you to treat me differently. I mean it,” Chaeyeon said, her voice now having gained more confidence.

“Nah, after tonight, I’ll ever forget this even happened,” Yena assured her, even though he still seemed somehow lost.

True to form, next morning, when Chaeyeon had finally arrived where everyone lay (as he had to asleep far from everyone, just in case), Yena was already awake, eating some fruit. He greeted him enthusiastically, offering him some fruit. The younger man declined, wanting to wait for everyone to wake up. It seemed impolite to grab some food without permission.

They talked a bit more, and when it was time to part, Yena cheered Chaeyeon on, telling him with gestures that his secret was safe, and they would see each other in the capital. Chaeyeon only waved, feeling well-rested, physically and mentally.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have a friend in this era.

\--

\--

Having returned to Master Shinyu, things had considerably slowed down. Thinking he would immediately get onto the next delivery, he was, instead, laid off for the next couple of days. He hadn’t seen Daehwi after they finished their delivery, so he was completely alone.

Not everything was lost, though. Many men were on deliveries of their own, so, at nighttime, many mats were empty, which gave Chaeyeon a bigger sense of liberty and security. There would be less danger for him. As a plus, he was able to spend his monthly cycle in a safe place, and it was a relief to not have to deal with the pain and blood while traveling, luxury he knew he wouldn’t always enjoy.

There was one downside to it.

Having not much to do, gave him a lot of time to think, which completely left him vulnerable to the accusations his own conscience threw at him.

Images of the fate of his sisters agitated him. He tried convincing himself that nothing he imagined would happen to them, but he knew quite as well that, without him, there was no one to take care of them, as his father had fled the country as soon as he could, thinking naively that the men wouldn’t go after his remaining family.

Chaeyeon had never told his dad about his involvement with the loan sharks, as he already feared that one day he would get tired of sending them money, and would disappear from their lives forever.

He also hid that from his sisters, not wanting to scare them nor guilt them into also trying to help.

However, if she was not there, would they come back? Would Chaeryeong and Chaemin leave this world to go find mom? Or would Chaeryeong be offered the same thing Chaeyeon was offered when he was merely seventeen? He found out he disliked any of those alternatives.

Other thougths were of guilt for stabbing that man’s ankle. He had had to defend himself before, and he had never felt anything else but justification at his actions. After all, what those people were trying to do to him was way worse that him just punching them. Plus, that man had tried robbing them first, then had tried to kill them. It was completely justifiable to defend himself and his companion.

But no matter how much he told himself this, he still felt guilt at the thought of that man’s howls of pain, the feeling of the knife going through his flesh.

He got tired of those thoughts circling his head, so he decided to pay a visit to the market to find the restaurant owner. He hoped the man did come to like him enough to entertain him with a job or two.

To Chaeyeon’s relief, he did have some sort of affection for him, as he was greeted warmly. After hearing Chaeyeon’s request and an assurance of his cooking prowess, the man had let him work on his restaurant with the reward of food and a few coins.

This would prove to be a break from his mind’s accusations, and subsequent nightmares. Despite usually having dream-less sleep, since the day he started working with the restaurant owner, he started having nightmares, particularly involving that monster that had thrown him in this predicament. He would often taunt him, laugh in his face, and say cryptic things that he would forget as soon as he woke up, and when he woke up, he would get that horrible feeling of his insides being ripped into two.

Was this all a sign? Were those dreams meant to direct him to solve the puzzle and get home? Or was that creature just mocking him?

He tried not to think about it, but he knew, deep down, that it was starting to wear him thin.

Yena found him like this when he returned from his own delivery.

“You look half-dead, man,” Yena pointed out as he ate some gruel Chaeyeon had cooked for him.

“Thanks, I hadn’t really noticed,” Chaeyeon answered listlessly, not feeling like hearing Yena talk.

“I’m serious,” Yena said, biting on a bun Chaeyeon had just brought him. “What I think you need is a change in scenery,” he advised, humming in pleasure as he chewed the bun.

“And how would I get that change in scenery? Doing another delivery?”

“Not just any delivery, Chaeyeon-ah,” the older man answered, patting Chaeyeon’s shoulder. “One night, when I was sleeping, some of the top delivery dogs were talking between each other, probably thinking we weren’t able to hear them because we were asleep, and I think the others were, but I was awake because I needed to relieve my bladder but couldn’t let them know that I wasn’t asleep.” Yena gave another bite to the bun.

“Not to interrupt your story, but your point is?”

“Yeah, was just getting to that,” he answered before tilting the bowl to drink some of the gruel. “Ah, that’s good. Anyways, they thought we were all asleep, and they were talking about this great delivery that couldn’t be rivaled to any deliveries made. Supposedly, there is this special shipment that has been brought straight from the Tang Empire, and has to be delivered to Japan.”

“And?”

“And we could try to get them to include us in that delivery!” Yena finished, obviously enthused about the prospect. “Could you imagine, meeting new lands AND being part of a thing bigger than ourselves?”

“And how would we do that?” Chaeyeon asked skeptically. “If those ‘top delivery dogs’ were talking about this when they thought you were are asleep, then it means that we weren’t going to be included in the first place. Moreover, even if we tried to be included, would we even be able to take care of ourselves? Wouldn’t we risk our lives even more?”

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Chaeyeon-ah! If we are only meant to be peasants in this life, why not be well-traveled peasants!”

“I don’t like it,” Chaeyeon remarked. It was impossible for him to even think about leaving the country, when his main mission was to return to his time. What would happen if, instead of trying to find a way home, he ended up embroiled in other things that weren’t his business?

“You seriously aren’t any fun,” Yena remarked, deflated. It made the younger man feel bad, but he had things more important right now than embarking in a travesty. Still, Yena continued pouting, even as he ate, which destroyed Chaeyeon’s defenses in no time. He sighed.

“Do you want some bibimbap?”

“Yes, please.” Yena grinned with a mouth full of bread.

\--

Walking towards the stable, Yena was still talking about his journey, but Chaeyeon was distracted, as a feeling had settled in him as soon as they had left the restaurant. It was the same feeling he got whenever he woke up from a nightmare. Like being ripped into two.

“Hey, are you even listening?”

“Yes, I...” Chaeyeon almost swallowed his tongue when he saw, instead of his friend, the monster. His beady eyes managed to freeze her into place. His smile widened when he saw the horror growing in her face.

“How rude, your friend was so excited about his journey and you weren’t even listening. How about more selflessness, Chaeyeon?” However, the girl couldn’t even speak, the fear had clamped her mouth shut and was, at the moment, choking her. Ah, no, that was that monster’s hand. On her throat.

“You won’t answer? That’s fine, I get that you are a shy girl.” The man’s laughter was like a ice sliding through her back. “Anyways, I feel quite saddened because you haven’t been listening, Chaeyeon. You haven’t been listening at all. I come to you every night, hoping to catch your attention, but you just ignore me, just like you are doing now, just like you have been doing for the past two years.”

“And the worst thing is, I’m trying to help you. I’m trying to help you get back to your sisters. Oh, don’t worry,” he added with a honeyed voice at the sight of Chaeyeon’s panic. “Nothing has happened to them. In fact, nothing will happen to them. I’m not a monster, as you so kindly have been calling me. I know your sisters have nothing to do with this. When you return back to your time, you will return exactly to the time you left, to the last place you were. They won’t even miss you. They won’t even know you left.”

“I’m running out of time, so I’ll just say this last thing. It would be in your best interest to get that ‘special shipment’. I won’t give you any more hints because that would take away the fun! So, I hope we’ll see each other again soon,” he said, smiling, and started applying more pressure on her throat, effectively depriving her of oxygen.

Chaeyeon tried clawing on the man’s hands, hoping she wouldn’t die now, but he had an iron-grip, and she was losing strength and consciousness quickly. Just as she was preparing herself to die, she felt she was being shaken wildly.

\--

“Chaeyeon! Chaeyeon!”

He finally opened his eyes, the first thing he saw being a panicked Yena, who was still shaking him.

“What? What happened?” he asked groggily, feeling his throat burn.

“Are you okay? Should I try to call for a doctor?”

“I am okay,” Chaeyeon replied, trying to shake himself out of sleep. His body felt like lead, and it seemed like a gigantic task to even try to sit down, but he had to do it.

“You are not. Your forehead is burning and you are sweating like crazy!”

“I’ll be okay, just give me a moment.” Somehow, Chaeyeon knew he would be fine and the pain and feebleness would go away. He didn’t know how he knew it, but it was a certainty in his mind. Not for the first time, he thought, ‘What did that monster do to me?’

Yena seemed reluctant to listen to the younger man’s reassurances, but did it, anyways, as he wanted to be next to Chaeyeon if something worse happened to him.

Little by little, his strength returned, making him open his eyes more widely. Yena could sense the change in him, and beamed when Chaeyeon spoke.

“What were you saying about that grand delivery?”

\--


	5. Chapter 5

They decided on going to another place where they could be sure they wouldn’t be heard, and, at Yena’s suggestion, they ended up in the alley they had managed to hide from the enraged crowd the day they met. According to the older man, “it’s a pretty secret place! Nobody would dare interrupt us!”

“So, I did some research while you were asleep,” Yena started when he had already settled, sitting on the floor. “And, aside from the things we both know, I also learned something new! Apparently, the delivery hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s meant to do so in the next days. In the meantime, we can try and get in their good books.”

“But what if we don’t?” Chaeyeon asked carefully, racking his brains about the best way to explain Yena his plans.

“What do you mean?” Yena looked at Chaeyeon, puzzled.

“What if we just... Go, without asking for permission?” The older man almost screeched.

“Do you mean go on the boat like stowaways?! I mean, I know you had some fever, but I didn’t think it would affect you this bad!”

“No, listen to me,” the younger man tried to explain, frustrated. It was just so hard to explain! What was he supposed to say? He needed whatever was in that delivery to return to the future because a weird monster told him to? It was nuts. “I don’t think they are going to let us go. Think about it. We only have gone on one delivery, so we don’t have any experience at all.”

“So?” Yena asked, seemingly more appeased.

“So? As you said, this isn’t a small tryst. It’s huge, something that Master Shinyu has never done before. You think they would employ newcomers?”

“Well, I admit the possibility is rare, but what if we get rejected? We can just work for a bit, then, when the opportunity arises, we volunteer ourselves for the next long journey.”

“No, it has to be this time. We have to get on that boat,” Chaeyeon remarked resolutely.

“Chaeyeon-ah, are you really fine? What’s with this change of heart? First, you want nothing to do with the delivery, then you suddenly have to get on the boat no matter what?”

“I know. I know. I don’t know how to explain it. I just know that I have to get on that boat, like something bigger than me is pulling me to this journey.” Yena gave him a gaze, as if looking in the younger man’s face signs of anything other than sincerity. He huffed.

“Fine, we become stowaways. Then what? We are going to get thrown to the streets when we come back. There is no way Master Youngjin won’t know.”

Yena was right. Chaeyeon is willing to bet they would get their asses handed to them when they are discovered inside the boat, and when they return to Silla (if the rest of the couriers don’t throw them to the ocean as punishment) they’ll be done for. It wasn’t much for Chaeyeon, though. He wasn’t meant to stay here forever, so he could just escape with the delivery and be done with it. But Yena...

A pang of guilt resurfaced in his chest at the thought of his older friend. He could do this just fine. It would barely represent something significant to his life, but for Yena, who lived here and would continue to live here, would represent his livelihood, and probably his life. Chaeyeon couldn’t do this to him, even if it meant he would be lonely for the rest of his existence in this time.

“You’re right. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking,” Chaeyeon acquiesced. “We’ll do it your way. If they don’t let us, I guess we’ll have to wait.” Yena glared at him, opening his mouth to interject, but closed it immediately.

“Fine, you weirdo. Make up your mind, why don’t you.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll do as you say.”

Chaeyeon didn’t expect a pang of sadness at her own words.

\--

\--

As expected, Yena could barely even begin asking Master Youngjin about it before he was threatened to keep his mouth shut. It would make the older man sulk for days on end, but Chaeyeon wasn’t fazed at all. His plan would go on, with or without permission.

As the days came to pass, he came to casually hear (yes, he was spying on Master Youngjin) that the shipment had already arrived at the capital, and would be prepared to be delivered to Yoondo for the journey to Japan. On the other hand, Yena had received another goods shipment that would probably take him to the other side of the Kingdom.

Their farewell was emotional on Chaeyeon’s part. For Yena, though, it was a temporary farewell, so Chaeyeon couldn’t be overtly emotional, no matter how much it ached to part from his friend, to probably never see each other again. When had he become so attached to that idiot?

The older man left, leaving Chaeyeon alone to plan his own sneak off to the ship. After all, he would have to travel to Yoondo first, and arrive before the rest of the crew did. There was not much food or water needed to get to his destination, so he was the least worried about it. What he was worried about, was not knowing how to get there. He could try and follow the crew, but they were far more experimented than he was; they would probably find he was trailing them quickly.

Who could he ask for help?

The only option was to ask the restaurant owner if he knew how to get there. Turns out, he did know how to get there, and, with a knowing smile, gave Chaeyeon a map, explaining in detail the way he should go, along the the landmarks that would guide him without getting him lost. Despite his obvious knowledge of something Chaeyeon himself didn’t know, the man never asked him anything, nor gave any indications that he would. He only wished Chaeyeon luck and sent him on his way, with a sack filled with chobap, of course.

His journey to Yoondo was long, or at least it felt that way for the young man, who barely let himself rest. The paranoia he had known for a long time returned in full force, not letting him sleep, even if he wanted to. He feared he would be ambushed the same way he and Daehwi were in that delivery. The first night he tried to sleep, but when he realized that his mind refused to shut down, he decided to continue walking midst the darkness, using his phone’s light to guide him (he had to wrestle with himself on that one, as he was also paranoid of his phone having no battery, even if it was useless to him in the 9th century).

And with terrible exhaustion, he arrived at Yoondo, a small fishing village that, despite its size, had gigantic ships waiting at the shore. Thankfully for him, he had some food left, so, after eating as much as he could, he left the food sack next to a lodging house, hoping it would be of use to someone. Unfortunately, it seemed he definitely had strayed, as the crew were already preparing for the journey, many of the members already populating the ship.

He had to sneak inside of the ship, but how? There were a lot of people on the ship, he could not just walk in there.

He entered the lodge, and tried masquerading as a weary traveller. He saw a few tables and mats, which made the remaining rooms the rooms where everyone slept the night. Nobody was there, except behind the counter, where a small woman was looking at him attentively.

“Hello,” Chaeyeon greeted, bowing. He smiled slightly when he got a greeting back.

“I travelled a long way to here, looking for any ships that could take me to Tang,” he said, tweaking his voice to sound exhausted (it wasn’t even hard, he WAS exhausted).

“I am sorry, boy, the only ship is about to embark, and I am not sure of their destination. You can ask them, but their ship does not seem to carry passengers.”

“Oh,” he said, faking disappointment. “Do you have a room I can use, then?”

“They are all still occupied by those men. Come back at dusk and I’ll rent you a room, then.”

“Thank you so much.” Chaeyeon bowed again, leaving the lodge.

‘How can I sneak into the rooms?’ It wasn’t an easy feat, as the woman seemed to do nothing but wait for patrons. Chaeyeon noticed she had looked in his direction as soon as he opened the door to enter the lodge. He needed her to be distracted.

‘The phone!’ If he managed to have her look at the phone, and get distracted with it, maybe he could sneak to the room. He didn’t quite like parting with the phone, but he didn’t have any other idea. Grabbing the phone, he hugged it to his chest. When was the last time he had copied his pictures into their laptop?

What if, instead of the phone, he gave her his modern clothes, like... Like... That could probably also distract the woman without Chaeyeon having to relinquish his phone. He turned to look at the ship.

‘I don’t have time to get this wrong!’ With a sigh, he hugged the phone again, entering the lodge.

“Hello again,” he bowed again, noticing the woman’s inquiring gaze (and wariness). “Uhm, I need your help with something.”

“What is it?” the woman asked, seemingly more wary than a minute before.

“It’s this... thing,” Chaeyeon said, dangling her phone. “I found it while I was travelling, and I don’t know what is it.”

The woman squinted, looking at the small thing in the young boy’s hands.

“What is that?” the woman asked as Chaeyeon got closer.

“I don’t know, it looks like magic,” he said, pressing the turn on button, which turned the screen on. The woman jumped back, her mouth now agape.

“What is that...? Get away from me!” the woman screamed at Chaeyeon, who, bewildered at her reaction, also jumped back.

“I don’t know what you are, but get away from me!” Chaeyeon, at a loss of what to do, decided to do the first thing that came to his mind, throw the phone in her direction.

‘I am so sorry,’ he thought  as he chucked the phone at woman, who screamed and hid behind the counter. Chaeyeon took that as his chance and ran into the hall, where there were many doors. He heard the main door open, and he panicked.

‘I need to do this quickly.’ Opening slowly the first door, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw no one in the room, despite the room obviously being occupied. Looking around, there seemed to be nothing of use. Hearing footsteps, he closed the door shut, and ran to the last door, hoping that would put anyone off his tail.

Thankfully, there was no one there either, and, to Chaeyeon’s even bigger relief, there was a closed chest in there, which didn’t seem to be a lodge decoration. It didn’t seem to use a lock, which meant Chaeyeon could inspect it.

‘Can I fit in this?’ But the question was useless, as the young man tried, almost immediately, to fit on the chest. It was cramped, but well enough for him to travel for a while. He closed the chest, and waited for a while before the door opened.

Praying to whatever god would hear him, he hoped the man wouldn’t think about inspecting the chest, instead, just taking it into the boat. The prayers didn’t stop when he felt the chest being moved, but triplicated, as it became more dangerous with each passing moment.

He didn’t want to think about the things that would happen to him if he was discovered, but, as he already knew, he was a pessimist, and would not stop praying hastily and thinking of the worst case scenario.

The chest stopped moving, and Chaeyeon felt his heart beating in his throat. It didn’t calm down in the time the chest was stationary.

It felt like forever when the man started moving the chest again, which was now being lifted, instead of just being pushed.

Through the edges of the chest, Chaeyeon could notice a decrease in light, which meant he had finally entered into the inner ship. Or so he hoped.

The oxygen was becoming lesser, and he found it difficult to breath, but knew he had to stay as long as he could inside the chest, to ensure no one would be around when he finally got out of it.

He tried getting his mind out of it, but, ultimately, he couldn’t continue breathing, so trying to push the chest open, he realized that, although the chest didn’t have a lock, it probably had a latch of some sort, which prevented him from getting out of the chest. Oh no.

It didn’t matter now. He could travel just fine, opening the chest as much as it could be opened to breath and closing it whenever someone came here. The items inside the chest weren’t that important, in Chaeyeon’s opinion, so he thought it would be rare for someone to try open the chest. Another advantage would be that the chest was actually behind some barrels, so, whatever the case, the chest wouldn’t be the first thing someone would see if they entered.

It would a take a while for the ship to sail, but when it did, Chaeyeon (and the chest) slid violently against the wall, making the young man hit his head. He tried rubbing his head, but it was difficult to move, so he decided to bear with the pain.

Suddenly, he heard the latch of the chest being maneuvered, which froze him in his tracts.

‘No, no, no, no...’

The chest was opened, and there was a man looking down at him.

“Chaeyeon?”

“Yena?” The older man smiled, extending his hand at Chaeyeon, who was still in shock.

“Who...? What...?” The man grabbed Chaeyeon’s arm, pulling him out of the chest.

“Quick, let’s hide,” Yena said as he closed the chest again and directed Chaeyeon towards the far end of the room.

“You scared me, you idiot,” Chaeyeon retorted as soon as he recovered his wits.

“Serves you right. You were going to leave me behind!”

“I didn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“Maybe I want to get into your trouble!” Yena blurted out, making both of them freeze.

“Ah, uh, I mean. I didn’t want you to go alone. What happened to I got your back and you got mine?"

“I got your back by not getting you kicked out of this job!” Chaeyeon exclaimed, choosing to ignore Yena’s first comment. Yena seemed like he was about to retort, but Chaeyeon beat him to it. “You didn’t say it, but it was obvious you liked this job. How are you going to work in the capital once we return?”

“How are YOU going to work in the capital once we return?”

“I’m not worried about that,” Chaeyeon answered dismissively. “I know it won’t be a big blow if I have to go somewhere else, but you?” Yena sighed.

“You are my friend, like my brother, if you want to see it that way. I’ll go where you go because that’s what friends do. What family does.”

“Even at the expense of your life?”

“Well, I did say I wanted adventure, right?” Chaeyeon felt touched at his loyalty. Having only known each other for a few months, it didn’t make sense someone would get this attached to her, right? He wanted to give Yena a hug, but decided not to, not being that into displays of affection  (except displays of affection for his sisters).

“Thank you,” he said, instead, hoping his tone and a pat on Yena’s arm could convey everything he felt.

“For what? Now you’re stuck with me.” Chaeyeon laughed.

When his laughter died out, he asked, “but now that I think of it, how did you sneak into the ship?”

“That’s a story for another day,” Yena answered, scrunching his face into a funny looking frown.

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, we are trapped in here, with not much to do, so do tell,” Chaeyeon supported his back on the wall, trying to get more comfortable.

“I don’t really want to relieve the experience, but let’s just say I entered through the waste passage.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Hey, I grew up at a farm and had to deal with poop all the time, so it wasn’t that bad.”

“You said you didn’t want to relieve the experience.”

“I don’t want to relieve the experience because I don’t want to gross you out.”

“Who’s Mister Tough Guy now?”

“It’s still you. By the way, what’s your plan now, chief?”

“Well,” Chaeyeon started, ignoring the fact that Yena was trying to change the subject. “The plan is to... steal the shipment?”

“I’m sorry, I think I am hearing things. What’s the plan again?” Yena interjected, using a finger to clean his ear.

“I need to steal the shipment.”

“What? Have you really gone insane?!” Chaeyeon shushed Yena. “What are you going to do with the shipment? Deliver it?”

“I don’t know. I think I will deliver it.”

“But does it have to be you? I mean, those men are already delivering it to its destination. What’s the point in stealing it if you’re just going to deliver it yourself?”

“The thing is...” Chaeyeon started, trying to find an excuse. He did not want to lie to Yena, but there was no choice. “I overheard them speaking.”

“Oh?” Yena exclaimed, intrigued.

“They said they were going to make do with the shipment and sell it, so that they could keep the gold.”

“Woah, and when did you hear this?”

“I heard when I was being brought in here.” Yena looked amused, probably at the mental image Chaeyeon’s words gave him.

“Then, how are we going to do that? If you haven’t noticed, we are now at sea, hiding like stowaways. If they find us, and know we know their plans, they are going to throw us to the sea, or kill us!” Chaeyeon felt guilt at the older man’s immediate trust and gullibility.

“I know. I know. We have to find something to do.”

“Where is the shipment, anyway?”

“It must be here, or so I hope. Hey, help me look around.” At the room, which was the storage of the ship, there were many barrels and chests, which meant that they: Number one, had a lot of places to look for the shipment, number two, would probably not know which one of the things in here was the shipment they were looking for. It didn’t discourage Chaeyeon anyway; they had time, lots of it.

They had to look for a while, stopping at any sound too close for comfort. After several open chests, Yena signaled towards one, beckoning the younger man to get closer.

“I think it’s this one.”

“How do you know?”

“It has a lock. I didn’t see a lock in any other chest.”

“You might be onto something,” Chaeyeon mumbled, scratching his neck.

“I’m not as dumb as you think I am!”

“I’ll hold my judgment on that.”

“Hey, I...” they both heard steps near the entrance, so they rushed towards their hiding place, barely making it when the door opened. Chaeyeon could judge by the sounds the man was making that he was taking something out of one of the barrels, food. It took forever for him to finish whatever he was doing and head upstairs.

“Hah, took him long enough,” Chaeyeon exclaimed when they finally left their hiding spot.

“Y-yeah,” Yena said, a little out of himself.

“Are you okay?”

“I-I don’t know. I think I just got dizzy.”

“Rest for a while, we have a lot of time to kill. If something happens, I’ll wake you up.”

“Don’t fall asleep, then, dummy,” Yena remarked as he tried to get comfortable on the wooden floor. It was a pretty difficult task, Chaeyeon could tell, but whether it was because Yena himself was exhausted or because he was bored out of his mind, he fell asleep after a few minutes.

And that became their system for the next couple of days. One would wake up, they would talk to each other for a while, then the other would fall asleep as the the other stood guard. After a while, they actually lost the sense of time, as they had barely any way to know what time of the day was it. They knew it was day when someone came downstairs to grab some food, and knew it was nighttime when it was quiet.

It wasn’t the worst thing ever, except that the one time both men fell asleep, that was the time where everything went to shit.

For one reason or the other, both thought that it was already nighttime. Yena convinced Chaeyeon that it would be fine for the both of them to fall asleep for a moment, reminding him that it was nearly impossible for them to stay asleep for long, as they weren’t used to the ships movement. It had been quiet at first, but the ship suddenly was moving dizzily, making everything on the storage room slide wildly. Chaeyeon had woken first and had to pull Yena in his direction to prevent him from being slammed into the wall by one of the chests.

“What is going on?” Yena asked, still groggy from the little sleep he got.

“I don’t know! Should we go investigate?”

“It’s dangerous! What if someone sees us?”

“But what if it’s something important?”

They argued back and forth for a moment, but Chaeyeon won in the end. He was the one who would go out to investigate, while Yena would wait for him in the middle of the stairs.

What he found was pandemonium. It was storm, a huge storm, making the waves roar potently, threatening to swallow the ship whole. The crew was trying the darnedest to keep the ship afloat, but even for someone who knew nothing about ships like Chaeyeon it was obvious that they wouldn’t resist for long. The young man ran back downstairs, where Yena was waiting for him.

“Yena, grab the chest!”

“The shipment?” Chaeyeon huffed.

“Yes, hurry! We don’t have much time!”

“What is going on?” Yena asked as he tried lifting the locked chest. He signaled for Chaeyeon to help him and the latter rushed to his aid.

“There is a storm, a big one, and the ship isn’t going to resist. We have to get out of here.”

“But to where?! To the middle of the ocean? Where we’ll probably die?!”

“What else do you suggest?!” Chaeyeon screamed as he heard a huge ruckus. His heart sunk as he saw that there was a considerable amount of water that was getting into the storage room. “Either we stay here and die a slow death or we throw ourselves into the ocean and fight until our last breath!” Yena seemed to be fighting with himself, trying to make a choice. He then closed his eyes, seemingly having come to a decision.

“Let’s go, and hope they don’t notice we’re here.”

They finally arrived upstairs, where the men were all trying to keep the boat from sinking. In their haste, nobody was paying attention to the two men carrying a chest, which made this the smoothest plan they’ve had. However, they finally noticed someone WAS actually paying attention to them when they threw the chest from the board.

“Hey! Throw away everything useless from the storage room!” a man ordered them, making them jump. He hadn’t... caught them? It seemed like it. Chaeyeon felt compelled to do what the man had asked him to, but Yena pulled him back.

“Where are you going?”

“To do what he told us!”

“I know it’s hard, but we already threw the shipment out of the ship. If we hesitate more, we’re gonna lose it.” Chaeyeon, unsurprisingly, felt guilt, more guilt than he had ever felt in his life, as he nodded at Yena. There was no choice. He needed to go home.

“On the count of three!” They both looked at each other, and, in a rare act of affection, grabbed each others hands.

“One,” Chaeyeon counted.

“Two,” Yena followed.

“Three!”

As both men fell to the raging water, Chaeyeon felt a eerie sense of dejavu, and he was mentally transported to when that monster had pushed her into the water. Only this time, he would be awake the whole time.

As soon as he hit the water, he tried swimming to the surface. Having already located the chest, he tried grabbing onto it as soon as he could, coughing when he could finally breath. It was difficult to stay afloat, but Chaeyeon, more or less, found a way to keep himself from sinking. But there was one thing missing. Oh no.

Still grabbing the chest, Chaeyeon submerged his face, trying to look out for Yena. When he didn’t see any trace of the young man, he panicked. Quickly letting the chest go, he submerged himself.

Thanks to the moving waters, there was barely any visibility, so it seemed nearly impossible for Chaeyeon to see anything, much less to locate his friend. He tried looking for a while, but eventually had to come up for oxygen.

In the midst of the waters, trying not to drown and not to lose sight of the chest, Chaeyeon finally saw a figure that was holding onto the ship as best as he could.

Chaeyeon hollered at Yena, calling his name again and again, but the sound of the storm was louder than any scream he could make, so he tried swimming back to the chest, which proved to be far more difficult than the first time.

He never stopped trying, praying that Yena would hold on until he came back for him.

Turns out, it was even more difficult to swim hanging onto the chest. The damn thing would only obey the waves and disregard Chaeyeon’s efforts to reach Yena. In fact, it felt like, instead of getting closer to the ship, he was only straying farther and farther away. He tried with all his might, but he was gradually losing strength.

A body surfaced in front of him, also holding onto the chest.

“Yena!” the aforementioned man was coughing, trembling in weakness as the ocean continued roaring.

Now that his friend was safe, he stopped his swimming intent, resigning to hold onto the chest and pray that they would get out of this alive. He closed his eyes, and tried grabbing Yena’s hand. He didn’t try to move any further when he didn’t find it, exhausted beyond belief.

The last thought that came to his mind was his mother before he lost consciousness.

\--

\--


	6. Chapter 6

Chaeyeon woke up with a mouthful of sand. Still disoriented, he coughed the sand, unconsciously making faces at the taste it left on his mouth. It took a while before he remembered what had happened.

Pushing his body from the ground, he groaned at the ache he felt throughout his whole body, as if his body had been used as a punching bag. With a blurry sight, he could make out the silhouette of a person laying on the sand. Taking a step at a time, he crawled towards the person, hoping it was his friend.

To his relief, Yena was already awake, his face scrunched up in concentration, as if he was doing a very important task, but his eyes were lost.

“Yena?” Chaeyeon called out, waving a hand in front of his face, groaning immediately at the pain. “Yena?” The man seemed to finally react, turning to look at Chaeyeon. He clicked his tongue several times, to then smile at the former.

“Chaeyeon! Come join me! I was watching the sunset!” The younger man turned to look where Yena was pointing at, pursing his lips.

“Uhm...”

“Look, since I already know this is a dream, there’s gonna be a sunset because I want to see one. So, sit down, and watch it with me.” Chaeyeon wasn’t sure of whether to laugh or be worried.

“Yena, this isn’t a dream.”

“Yes, it is. I am going to wake up, and I am going to be delivering fruit far away.”

“Yena, no. This is real. I am real,” Chaeyeon said carefully, deciding to pinch Yena’s arm.

“Ouch! That hurt! Which means... This isn’t a dream! I really decided to follow you to the grand delivery! There was a huge storm and we threw ourselves into the sea!” Yena now looked panicked, a contrast to the calmness he had displayed a few moments ago.

“Well, yes. That’s the summary of it.”

“And we are wrecked! In the middle of nowhere!” Chaeyeon turned to look at all sides, and now that his sight wasn’t as blurry, and his mind was more awake, he realized that Yena was right, they were in the middle of nowhere. The young man wanted to panic, but tried his best to swallow his reaction to Yena’s words, knowing it did him no favors.

However, he had a quick realization that made his panic multiply.

“Wait! Where’s the chest?!”

“It’s there, but it’s already empty,” Yena answered, pointing to the east.

“What do you mean it’s empty?!” Chaeyeon, for the first time, felt like he was about to blow a gasket.

“Yeah, I emptied it,” Yena said. Searching inside his clothes, he produced some papers, which he showed to the younger man.

“You...” Chaeyeon felt ready to choke Yena, but decided to snatch the papers instead, opening each one of them.

“Hah, now you know how panicked I feel!” Yena exclaimed. He got closer to Chaeyeon when he saw the young man examining the papers.

“What... is this?” The papers were only composed of hanja, which made them illegible for Chaeyeon. Sure, she had learned hanja at school, but that didn’t mean she remembered much about it. Plus, the meaning of the papers could vary from what little she could remember, so she had no way of knowing what to do with them.

“Who knows? It’s the only thing that I found in the chest, so I don’t know what are we supposed to do with them.”

“I am... a dumbass,” Chaeyeon interjected, cradling his head in his hands.

“A what?” Yena asked, confused.

“I am an idiot! A nutcrack!” Chaeyeon screamed. “How could I think about delivering this thing when I have no idea where to take this! Where are we supposed to go know!”

“Calm down, Chaeyeon-ah. We’ll find a way,” Yena soothed (despite his confusion at Chaeyeon’s remarks), surprisingly being the voice of reason for once.

“But how?!”

“Look, our first priority is to find civilization, and food, most importantly, food,” Yena explained, taking a deep breath before continuing. “And also, we need to find out where are we stranded. There’s a possibility we are not in Japan at all.”

“Oh, no. Why didn’t I consider this?” Chaeyeon seethed. It was that stupid monster’s fault. Why did he even listen to him? He was probably playing with him, mocking him.

“It’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.” The older man continued consoling Chaeyeon, who still hid his face in his hands. It took Chaeyeon a while to get himself together.

“Okay, we really need to search for civilization,” Yena said, standing on his feet. Chaeyeon, after a few moments, did the same.

“You’re right. Let’s just hope that there is actually civilization,” Chaeyeon said, mumbling the last part.

And so they walked through the beach slowly, as their bodies still ached from the previous ordeal (and that was an understatement). They were far from being healthy, but knew they wouldn’t survive in the middle of nowhere, and that propelled them to continue walking.

Nevertheless, they had to take time to rest, choosing to do it in the same manner they did it on the ship, one sleeping and the other taking guard, as they had no clue about what could exist in the wilderness.

Time passed, and they found no signs of civilization, no food and no clean water, which forced them to drink from puddles and other dirty water. However, they restrained from eating anything they had never seen, as, per Chaeyeon’s advice, they could bite into something poisonous and die.

It wasn’t good for their sanity. Chaeyeon hadn’t noticed when the hallucinations had started, but when she least expected it, she was seeing visions and hearing things, some more disturbing than others. Yena wasn’t too far behind on that department, as he seemed to have visions of his own.

Chaeyeon reached a point in which she wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. Part of her already believed she was on her way to death, and another believed that she was already dead, and this was her hell, punishment for whatever wrongs she had committed on earth.

It was understandable, then, when she couldn’t quite believe the existence of the men she was seeing, now surrounding her and Yena, trying to see who they were. Everything was passing in a blur.

Suddenly she found herself being tended, a man who she had never seen using a cloth to dot on her face, for reasons she didn’t understand.

Finally, she let it be, deciding to let herself be wherever she was, be manhandled however they wanted. After all, this was all a dream.

Right?

\--

\--

His eyes, bleary, blinked a few times, trying to recover his sight. Turning his body to his right, he looked at the door of a fancy room. Where was he? He barely remembered what had happened, the last memory being of her mom playing dress up with her.

“I should stop waking up like this,” Chaeyeon muttered as the door opened, revealing a limping Yena.

“Oh, Chaeyeon! You’re finally up!” Yena huddled to Chaeyeon, who tried sitting up.

“Ugh, what happened?” the younger man groaned, rubbing her back.

“I don’t know. I kind of woke up when these men were bringing us into this temple, and then I loss consciousness again.”

“Temple?”

“Yes, a temple. Apparently, we were close to it, and some priests found us, in their own gestures, half-dead,” Yena explained, gesturing with his hands. “Oh, and I think you should know before they come, and I hope it won’t anger you too much, but they already know about you.”

“What about... Oh,” Chaeyeon exclaimed. He sat pensively, not really feeling angry, but weird nonetheless (and a little panicked).

“Don’t worry, though, they can be trusted! When they discovered you were... well... they left you alone, only coming to give you water and some medicine.”

“How long have you been awake?”

“I don’t know, a few days?” Yena scratched his head in wonder.

“And are you fine?”

“Oh, about that...” Yena looked at Chaeyeon, sheepish. “I don’t know how, but I managed to injured my leg while we were wandering around.”

“Does it hurt?” Chaeyeon asked bewildered, appraising Yena, looking for the injury.

“Not really,” Yena drawled, patting his injured leg. “With the medicine the priests have given me, it has been nice.

“Have you spoken to them?”

“Well, I don’t know their language.” Right.

“Oh, well, I’ll try to see what I can do,” Chaeyeon said, racking in his head for the Japanese that remained in her memories, back when she studied in middle school.

In that moment, the door opened again, revealing two men in peculiar clothes, their robes long, far too long, their faces painted a ghastly white, which made Chaeyeon gape at them.

They gave some exclamations of wonder, rushing to meet Chaeyeon, who looked at them, trying to decipher what little he could understand. With relief, the young man found out he understood it far more than he expected to.

“Uhm, where are we?” Chaeyeon asked, effectively silencing everyone in the room. A few seconds later, one of the men got closer to Chaeyeon.

“Can you speak Japanese?” the man asked.

“A little,” Chaeyeon answered, also gesturing with his fingers. “I can understand,” he added. The man nodded.

“Do you feel good?” the man dumbed down his speech.

“Yes, I feel fine,” Chaeyeon answered. “Where are we?” he asked again.

“You are at the Kofukuji Temple, in Nara,” the other man answered. “You are clearly foreigners, and you don’t know Japanese, but here you are,” the man continued, seemingly not caring enough to dumb down his speech. “Why are you here?”

“We had a delivery,” Chaeyeon answered, not knowing whether to show them the writings or not. “And our friends died at sea. We jumped with the delivery and got here.”

“Where were you supposed to get the delivery to?”

“I don’t know. Our boss didn’t tell us.”

The man looked skeptical, but the other looked far more relaxed.

“It’s fine,” he said, his speech more natural than before (probably because he could see the extent at which Chaeyeon understood Japanese). “You first need to eat.” He signaled at Chaeyeon, who nodded. He did feel hungry. After a wordless discussion between the two men, they left, leaving Chaeyeon and Yena alone.

“How can you speak Japanese?” Yena asked, amazed and a little more suspicious.

“I learned when I was younger,” Chaeyeon answered, hoping that Yena would take his answer at face value and not question him any further. He didn’t want to lie to his friend any more than he already had.

“How? Where can you get someone who can teach you that?” Yena looked at Chaeyeon more quietly, which was frankly scary.

“I... I...” Chaeyeon stuttered, torn between lying again and telling the truth (as much as he could, anyways).

“Are you... Are you really a peasant?”

“Yena...”

“I knew it. You aren’t a peasant!” Yena exclaimed, his cloak of seriousness gone.

“Well, technically no, but...”

“Are you a noble? The daughter of a noble?” Yena asked in fire speed, not letting Chaeyeon answer. “Or maybe...” Yena gasped. “Are you the princess?”

“No, I am not the princess, or any princess,” Chaeyeon answered emphatically.

“Then what are you?”

“Yena...” Chaeyeon sighed. All this time, he had felt guilty at the thought of lying to someone who unconditionally believed him, looked out for him, and accompanied him to a whole another country, no (many) questions asked. But he was sure that whatever came out of his mouth right now, should he try to truly explain himself to Yena, would sound like non-sense, but he... had to try... If he had brought Yena all the way to this place, he owed him at least some truth.

“Yena,” Chaeyeon started, breathing deeply. “What I am about to tell you might seem unbelievable, downright crazy, but I need you to believe me, to believe in me.” Yena nodded, seemingly more intrigued.

“I am not from here,” the younger man said simplistically.

“You are not from Silla?” Yena asked. “Then... are you from Japan? Is that why you wanted to come here?”

“No, I am not from Japan, neither am I from Silla. I am not from anywhere in here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Yena... I am not from this time,” Chaeyeon explained slowly.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t come from here. I come from the future.”

“What?” Yena laughed disbelievingly. “Chaeyeon-ah... are you really okay?”

“It’s the truth,” Chaeyeon affirmed, not swaying at Yena’s skepticism.

“Chaeyeon-ah, you know I wouldn’t get mad at you if you told me. You don’t have to lie to me like this.”

“I am not lying!” Yena quieted down at Chaeyeon’s exclamation.

“Yena,” Chaeyeon said, grabbing the older man’s shoulders. “I am not joking around. I am telling you this because I don’t want to lie to you. You have always done things for my sake, and I want, at the very least, for you to know the truth. I don’t know why or how, but I was flung into this time and place, and I need to go back.” The older man, looked into Chaeyeon’s eyes, trying to find something, maybe a hint of a twisted joke or a flimsy lie, but when he couldn’t find none, he deflated.

“Chaeyeon...” Yena started, getting away from the younger man. “I have followed you this far because, to me, it always seemed that you had a plan. I knew from the start, even when you first rejected my proposal of asking our boss to come to this delivery, that you weren’t planning on staying put. I followed you, because no matter what plan you had, you seemed reliable, and you have been reliable, for the longest time. I believe in you, because you have also believed in me. But it’s impossible for me to believe this. I don’t know if I seem like a fool to you now, or if I have always seemed like that.” He stood up much as could, balancing on one crutch, and left the room.  Chaeyeon didn’t call out for him, even though he felt his heart ache.

The monks entered the room a few seconds after Yena left.

“Oh, hey. Your friend has already left, and we had also brought some food for him,” said the more friendly priest.

“Would it be okay if you take it to him later?” Chaeyeon asked quietly.

“Well, of course! Now, you, eat up,” the man said, giving Chaeyeon a bowl filled with rice. The young man thanked them before eating up.

“Now that you are eating, let’s have a chat.” The young man nodded, opening his mouth to speak first.

“I want to know first. Do you know that I am...?”

“A woman? Yes, we know,” the man answered affably. “I was the one to care of you, so no one else aside from Ryuji and me know.” The man gestured at his partner, Ryuji, who just looked at Chaeyeon impassively, reminding him of the old woman’s companion when he first had arrived here.

“Really, thank you,” Chaeyeon exclaimed, now eating again, his heart more at ease.

“No need. There is just something else we want to know.” Chaeyeon nodded. “Do you still have the delivery? Can we see it?”

Although Chaeyeon was hesitant at their request, figured out that he wouldn’t lose anything if he showed it to them. Perhaps this was one of the steps for Chaeyeon to finally return home. He rummaged in his clothes, and took out the writings, giving it to the men, who looked delighted, even the quiet one.

“Thank you,” the man said, reading them immediately. He became more pensive as he read it, making Chaeyeon more wary.

“Hmm, this is interesting. I think we will have to mull over it before we can even begin to discuss it,” the man explained to no one in particular. “I guess we’ll leave you alone for now. You are free to roam around the temple. Just don’t interrupt any ceremonies.” At Chaeyeon’s nod, he smiled. “Well then. I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”

\--

Due to Yena’s injury, and at the monk’s insistence, they both stayed for a while. Despite Yena’s anger at Chaeyeon, the latter wanted to stay until Yena was okay (and until the monks informed him of the contents of the delivery). It wasn’t a total waste, as in the time they had spent there, which was probably two to three months, both he and Yena learned more Japanese (if he guided himself by recounts of the man who was also trying to teach Yena), and Chaeyeon learned more about the monastic life of a Buddhist monk.

It wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, as the boredom Chaeyeon felt without his friend was great, and, for the most part, the monks weren’t that open to speaking to Chaeyeon for no reason. The friendly monk he had first met, Kenji, was almost always occupied, and had only stopped by to introduce him to his new Japanese teacher. It made Chaeyeon even more wary of their intentions, but he knew they wouldn’t kill them. If they wanted them dead, they would’ve killed them as soon as Chaeyeon had given them the delivery.

This left Chaeyeon with taking long walks in the surrounding area, watching the warrior monks practice each day, and recounting his story on paper, which marveled his teacher, who had never seen hangeul at all.

The biggest piece of excitement was when his teacher had come one day and happily relayed Chaeyeon the news that had the entire monastery in a buzz.

“The 15th princess is coming.”

Why was one of the princesses coming to a temple? Well, although Chaeyeon already knew that most of the monks in the temple were nobles or from the royal family, he had no idea that the head of the monastery was the 9th Prince, Tomiyasu, and the Princess’ full-blooded older brother. It wasn’t abnormal, then, that the Princess wanted to visit her brother and, quoting his teacher, “wanted to take a spiritual journey.”

Chaeyeon wasn’t even sure if he would be permitted to see the Princess, but decided to put his thoughts on her arrival, as it beat the thoughts of her family back home or the thought of Yena still refusing to speak to him.

He asked about the princess, but the most his teacher would tell him was that she was quiet and aloof, often contrasting with the other princesses, who were far more affable and social. Still, it was said she was very talented, and was said to also be intelligent.

Her name? Like the cherry blossom.

Sakura.

\--


	7. Chapter 7

The day of the Princess arrival was a commotion. Since Chaeyeon woke up in the morning, he had seen men running throughout the temple, carrying robes, paper, ink, food, and other amenities. It didn’t weird Chaeyeon out, as it seemed normal that they would try their best to receive the Princess in a dignified manner, and when his teacher arrived, he commented so.

“Hah,” the teacher exclaimed haughtily, laughing a bit, before he took the papers he had brought with him. “It’s obvious they are excited to meet with Princess Sakura. They believe that if they try their best they can gain the Princess’ grace.”

“You mean, that they want to woo the Princess?” Chaeyeon blinked.

“Yes, especially because the Princess isn’t known for having any lovers. Perhaps she keeps them in secret, but that is almost impossible,” the teacher answered as he tried writing on a paper.

“Why?”

“The walls of the palace have ears, many, many ears. There is no romantic tryst that isn’t known to the rest of the nobles and the imperial family. Furthermore, why would anyone want to hide their lover? A lover is nothing but something to pride on.” Chaeyeon scrunched his nose at the thought of the non-existent privacy. He experimented it back home in a more threatening way, but he could not imagine having to be scrutinized by a whole body of people about who she dated.

“They have no chance, anyways,” the teacher added.

“Because they are monks?”

“No, because of their families.”

“Their families?” Chaeyeon asked, confused. “They are nobles, right?”

“Yes, they are,” the teacher smiled wryly. “But even within nobility, there are grades, if you will. This grades determine who you can be with, the positions you can hold within the court, among other things.”

“That is horrible.” The teacher laughed.

“I can assure you you’re not the only one that thinks that. Anyways, I want to teach you calligraphy for a moment.”

When the moment came to greet the Princess, another monk entered Chaeyeon’s room, warning them of the Princess’ arrival. They both stood up and hurried towards the main entrance.

In the distance, there was an entourage, at the front of which were two people (probably servants) guiding the first carriage, which was pulled by two oxen. At the back there was another carriage, and at the end there were four people walking slowly.

It took a while for them to come, but everyone, even Chaeyeon, waited in anticipation for the entourage to fully arrive at the temple. When the entourage finally arrived, everyone bowed, parting so that only one man (which Chaeyeon supposed was the Prince) was standing in the middle to receive the Princess.

The two women at the front ran at the first carriage, extending one of their hands to the entrance of the carriage, out of which came a dainty hand. Taking small steps, the person inside stepped outside the carriage. Chaeyeon was mesmerized by the multi-layered beautiful silk garments the person had. The woman had the same makeup the monks wore, making her skin look white, contrasting deeply with her blood red lips. Her eyebrows (?) were thickly painted with black ink. Chaeyeon knew that it was probably the fashion of the time, but he really didn’t know what to think about it, and that was putting it lightly. Behind her, there were other two women, who carried her long outer garment.

Out of the second carriage came another woman with similar clothing, but different colors and patterns than that of the first woman, and also with the same makeup. As with the first woman, there where other servants who helped her off the carriage, and other two who held her outer garment. When Chaeyeon saw them completely out of the carriage, he also noticed their extremely long hair, which, if not for the outer garment being raised by the servants, would be dragging through the ground.

Someone shoved his head to bow completely, which made him grumble at the rudeness, but decided not to raise his head again, as he was sure there was a reason.

“Welcome to the Kofukuji temple, Princess Sakura,” Chaeyeon heard a deep voice say. “Welcome to the Kofukuji temple, Princess Rino.”

“Thank you for welcoming us, Prince Tomiyasu,” a soft voice said. Another soft, but more commanding voice repeated the phrase.

“Please, take care of us,” the voice added.

“Welcome,” everyone else seemed to say, which startled Chaeyeon. He tried repeating with the rest but it was too late. When he saw everyone straighten up, he did so too.

Everyone followed behind the princesses, but Chaeyeon was ready to go along to other activities. He had finally satisfied his own curiosity, and he was not fond of the obvious formality and stuffiness of the whole thing, which seemed apparent that would continue for a while. Still, he was afraid to ask, not wanting to appear rude to other monks, who already held Chaeyeon and Yena at a distance, nor to the princesses.

There were other things being said, but Chaeyeon was at the back (and was barely paying attention), so he had no idea what else was going on. Finally, the crowd dispersed, and Chaeyeon felt it safe to return to his room, but not without trying to spare a second glance to the princesses.

\--

His teacher was off to somewhere (Chaeyeon had no idea), and he was afraid of trying to talk to Yena and being rejected, so he just wandered outside the temple, as always.

It felt weird, to have visitors. Chaeyeon had felt so isolated for a while, that the thought of having new people that wasn’t him or Yena was a bit refreshing, although he knew he probably wouldn’t even get to speak with said visitors. It also took attention away from both men, and that was a relief. Even though a few months had passed by, most of the monks at the temple turned to look at him whenever he passed by, whether in contempt or curiosity, he couldn’t tell, but it made him nervous.

It was then, that a not so foreign feeling filled his chest. The desire to disappear, to be alone for a few moments, to not even be seen by anyone. To have the knowledge that while, he was surrounded by people, only he could see them pass by.

It wasn’t something she had felt when she was younger. Back when she was in dance lessons, back when she was a student, she had a burning desire to stand out, to be seen. She trained harshly and religiously every day, for hours on an end. She loved dancing, obviously, but she loved showing others what she could do, the things she had worked for. Her cheeks would heat at the praise of his teachers and her family, who would, without failure, go to her showcases, and her heart would fill with gratitude at everyone who helped throughout the way.

Time had gone by, her mother had died, she had gotten off dance lessons, her father escaped to another country after drowning himself in debt, only sending her and her sisters enough money to survive, and the passion she had once felt died out, suffocated by betrayal, a desire to survive, and a deep, deep sadness.

It was then that she thrived on not being seen, of being passed on by everyone, only being thought of as a mere decoration, another face in a sea of them. It made her feel safe. It made her feel more at ease in a job that not only was dangerous, but made her feel guilty.

Why was she even thinking about this?

Well, there was nothing else to do.

In this temple, time crawled painfully, leaving Chaeyeon with not much to do, but to think and to remember, and these were the worst times.

It was easy to be decisive, to be ‘reliable’, as Yena put it, when she was trying to survive, to return to her sisters, the only people she loved now, or when she was back in her time, working all day, nonstop. But when she was alone, she reverted to an angry, resentful 15 year old girl who suddenly had the rug pulled under her.

Looking into the temple’s lake direction, she walked towards it.

She still remembered when Yena had embarrassingly (but hilariously, Chaeyeon mentally added) discovered her secret at the lake she had been bathing at. Thinking back on it, the image of a screaming Yena made Chaeyeon laugh. Thinking about this brought another smile to her face, that was again erased in an instant when she remembered Yena was mad at her.

‘How can I get him to forgive me? How can I get him to believe me?’

Finally closer to the lake, she saw a figure under the kiosk closest to the lake, surrounded by several other figures who were carrying the back of her garment, and others flanking her on the sides. Knowing it was probably one of the princesses, he turned around to make a hasty escape.

“Excuse me!”

Chaeyeon flinched at the voice he heard in the distance. Praying it wasn’t him they were calling for, he turned around slowly, his shoulders hunched.

Hell.

One of the servants called for him again, signaling for him to come. Pointing at himself, he tried playing dumb, but it was no use. Sighing, he got closer.

He didn’t know which one of the princesses it was, but he bowed as soon as he got to close proximity.

“Excuse me,” he said, unsure on how to call the Princess without being rude. He probably was, anyway, judging by the expressions on the maids’ faces.

“Are you one of the foreigners that are visiting this temple?” one of the maids asked. Chaeyeon felt himself wanting to raise an eyebrow at the Princess, who wasn’t looking in his direction, but looking at the lake in front of them.

“Yes. Is there anything you need from me?” Chaeyeon asked, confused when he was met with even more bewilderment from the maids. The Princess signaled for the speaking maid, whispering in her ear. The maid turned around to relay her words to Chaeyeon.

“Princess Sakura wishes to know if you are an envoy from the Tang Empire.”

“No, I come from the Kingdom of Silla.” If the Princess was disappointed, she didn’t express it. Instead, she again whispered something into her maid’s ear.

“That is all. You are dismissed.” Chaeyeon had the mind to feel insulted at the Princess’ haughty attitude, but only bowed, rushing to leave the gardens as soon as possible.

‘What was wrong about being from Silla? Is that not a respectable place to come from as well?’

Chaeyeon huffed and grumbled until he found himself at the living quarters. He sighed, not wanting to enter again into the building and stay god knows how many hours rearranging his few belongings (a few garments that were donated hesitantly by other monks) or looking at the painting hung on the wall.

“Chaeyeon, there you are,” another male voice made him turn around, making him lighten up. It was his teacher, smiling slightly at him.

“I need your help with something.”

“If I can be of any use,” he answered, bowing slightly.

“Your friend still needs some help with his own Japanese, and I feel it would do him good to speak with someone else who has had to have lessons as well.” Chaeyeon felt himself freeze at the request, not really wanting to see Yena in that moment.

“Ah, I was going to go-”

“I know, I know. You were probably going to wander around the temple’s garden some more, but I really wish you could give me your time for this one petition.”

“Alright,” Chaeyeon answered hesitantly after some time of consideration. He didn’t want to face Yena yet, but, should a separation occur after this, he didn’t want Yena to get stranded. If he could help him in any way to go back to his own country, he would.

“So, you didn’t tell me there were two princess coming,” Chaeyeon said, wanting to calm his nerves.

“Nobody knew, actually. The letter Princess Sakura sent to Prince Tomiyoshi only spoke about her arrival to the temple. She never mentioned Princess Rino would accompany her.”

“Is Princess Rino her sister?”

“They don’t share the same mother, if that is what you are asking,” the teacher answered. “But that has never mattered to either of them, as they have always been very close.”

“Oh,” Chaeyeon interjected, not knowing what else to say.

“She is pretty, right?” the man asked cheekily.

“I guess,” the young man shrugged. She might be pretty under all that makeup, but Chaeyeon couldn’t be sure... Nor should he care, of course!

“Well, you can appreciate her beauty, young man, but that’s all you will be able to do.”

“As if I would want to do anything else with that snooty woman,” Chaeyeon grumbled under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“I’m not interested in women,” Chaeyeon answered out loud. The teacher roared in laughter.

“You can’t deny beauty, young man,” the teacher answered after his laughter subsided. “There are few things worth in this empty, meandering world, and beauty is one of them.” Chaeyeon raised an eyebrow at his teacher’s words.

‘That fatalism doesn’t suit him or this place,’ he thought, deprecating such philosophy for someone who lived comfortably, as a noble, and had not encountered as many difficulties in life.

“So, how is Yena doing with his lessons?” Chaeyeon asked, preferring to change the topic before her mind went to a self-compassionate journey.

“He is a very smart man, picked up on the language pretty quickly. Still, he has some problems with vocabulary. He likes to rely on gestures.” The young man hummed, feeling some kind of pride swell in his chest.

“Well, here we are,” the teacher said, opening the door of Yena’s room. Chaeyeon panicked, wishing he could just run away, but Yena had already seen him, changing one of his customary grins to a glare. Deflated, Chaeyeon entered the room, avoiding Yena’s gaze at all costs.

“Well, what are you doing standing there? Come, sit.” Chaeyeon sat next to the teacher, still finding uncomfortable the position he was taught to use to sit when he first woke up. The atmosphere was awkward, to the point that he knew the teacher could notice.

“Yena, I brought Chaeyeon-san so that you could practice your Japanese with someone.”

“I couldn’t practice with you?” Yena asked coldly, making Chaeyeon flinch.

“Well, yes, but it was better for you to speak with someone who is also learning the language,” the teacher said, confused at his two pupils’ apparent feud, or more likely, one-sided feud, if he were to judge by the younger man’s sad expression.

“Alright, let’s talk,” Yena said aloofly, turning to look at Chaeyeon. “How have you been?”

“Good, I’ve been good,” Chaeyeon answered as stably as he could, still avoiding Yena’s eyes. “How about you?”

“Terrible. I can’t walk, because of my leg, and I have to,” Yena pointed at the ground. “In this room. Always.”

“Stay, Yena. Stay,” the teacher corrected, seemingly uncomfortable with the current atmosphere. Perhaps he wasn’t used to angry Yena either.

“Yes, stay. I have to STAY here ALWAYS, because my leg is bad,” Yena emphasized, making Chaeyeon’s temper flare, despite his own guilt.

“Are you implying it is because of me?” Chaeyeon gritted out, trying to control his emotions, that were equal parts guilt and indignation.

“I am not implying anything. I’m just learning to speak Japanese,” Yena answered, equaling Chaeyeon’s anger. “You know, because I am not someone who was taught when he was young. I had to learn now, and deal with loneliness always.”

“How is that my fault?” Chaeyeon asked frustrated. The teacher, sensing that a fight was afoot, decided to instead flee, leaving the room stealthily. None of the men noticed he left, as they were too busy trying to not fight with each other.

“I never said that,” Yena huffed.

“No, but you implied it,” Chaeyeon countered in Korean. “How is it my fault? I tried coming here alone-”

“You didn’t try enough.”

“How the- How was I supposed to ‘try enough’? Was I supposed to push you off the boat? Make the couriers notice you? Leave you there in the middle of the storm?”

“No!” Yena answered, his face now red. “You didn’t try! You didn’t try enough. You should have just left me there! You should have never gone to the same place in the city where I was! We should have never met each other! You should have never accepted a job as a courier! You should have just left me alone!”

Chaeyeon’s retort died in his throat at Yena’s tirade. “Do you mean that?” he asked quietly, feeling warmth accumulating in his eyes. Yena didn’t answer, diverting his gaze to the floor.

“Alright,” Chaeyeon said. “Alright. I’m sorry.” He bowed. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve caused.” He left the room, rushing again towards the lake, praying that the Princess had already left.

There was no one at the lake, but he still didn’t feel comfortable standing on the kiosk. He wanted, more than ever, to not be seen, so he simply hid on a more concealed place of the lake, sitting with his legs crossed, disregarding etiquette. Who would see him, anyways?

He wiped his unending tears furiously, feeling so much anger at Yena’s words. He had never asked for this! He had never asked for Yena to present himself. He had never asked Yena to offer his friendship. He had never asked Yena to follow him here.

But, unknowingly, he had become a big part of Chaeyeon’s life here, someone she cherished, perhaps as the older brother she never had, someone that made her laugh, someone that followed her lead without question, someone that had willingly shared her burdens and her adventures here, without asking anything in exchange.

‘He never asked anything from me, but friendship,’ Chaeyeon thought. She was reminded of his speech the first night they spent at Master Shinyu’s.

__I know I ambushed you with my presence and demands, but I just... I don’t want to feel afraid. I don’t want to be alone in this big world. I want someone to rely on._ _

‘And I didn’t give him someone like that. I lied to him, and now, in his eyes, I’m just treating him like a fool,’ Chaeyeon thought glumly. ‘Then... would it be for the best if we separated now...?’

“Good afternoon,” a feminine voice interrupted his sad musings, making him jump and try to clear away the remaining tears, but he knew his face swelled easily, and it would be hard to hide.

“Good afternoon, Princess,” Chaeyeon greeted, bowing. How embarrassing.

“I couldn’t help but notice you here alone.” The Princess smiled when Chaeyeon hemmed and hawed, not finding the right words to answer.

“You are the foreigner, right? I am Princess Rino.”

“Yes, a pleasure to meet you, Princess,” Chaeyeon bowed awkwardly again.

“You aren’t going to tell me your name?” the Princess asked, a hint of tease in her voice.

“Ah, yes, sorry, Princess. I’m Lee Chaeyeon.”

“My, your Japanese sounds very natural. If not for your clothes, I would have thought you are a new addition to the temple.”

“Thank you, Princess.” He bowed again.

“Now, enough with the formalities. I know peasants aren’t fond of those. I am curious about one thing.”

“Pray do tell.”

“I am curious about this young man who was crying so freely at the lake. The reason for his tears.”

“Ah, that probably wasn’t manly of me. I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon apologized, but at the Princess’ expression, he knew she wasn’t going to let him go until he answered the question.

“The young man was crying because he had a fight with his friend,” he answered, feeling far more calm when talking about the situation in third person.

“And why would he have a fight with his friend?” Chaeyeon wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but knew better than to insult a princess.

“Because his loyalty towards his friend was questioned, and he was found guilty.”

“Why would he be disloyal towards his friend?”

“Because he never considered his friend’s feelings before making this journey, exposing him to dangers he shouldn’t have faced for the young man’s sake,” Chaeyeon answered, feeling his voice waver. The Princess looked at his features for a moment before answering.

“But did his friend have the choice to not follow him?”

“Yes, he had.”

“Then the young man should not fault himself for the friend’s decision to follow him. What the young man needs to do is to show thankfulness to his friend, and show him that following him was not in vain.” Chaeyeon gaped at the woman, surprised at her easily given advice. And it was a sound one, too.

‘Since when are sheltered princesses that smart?’ Chaeyeon asked himself disbelievingly.

“Say,” the Princess said after a small pause. “Would you like to take tea with my sister and I?”

\--

The Princess was found by her maids a few minutes into their walk. It was weird for Chaeyeon to see Rino not having the maids hold her outer garment, but Rino seemed completely at ease, not caring much about the garb. The maids, also contrary to Chaeyeon’s belief, were calm when they encountered the Princess, only telling her that the tea was soon to be served and that Princess Sakura was already waiting for her, to then hold her outer garment, as always. It made Chaeyeon question whether Rino was always like this.

They walked for a while, with Rino just talking about their journey to the temple, which Chaeyeon found surprisingly interesting, despite the uneventful trip. It was definitely the way Rino talked about it that made it interesting.

When they arrived, the maids rushed to open the doors, to then hold onto the garments again.

‘Couldn’t the Princess open the door?’

Princess Sakura was already there with her own entourage, seemingly reading from some papers. She turned to look at her sister, a serene expression on her face, but scowled at her when she saw the young man behind her.

“I thought we were going to have tea,” Princess Sakura said in a sickly sweet tone, contrasting with the expression in her face.

“We are,” Rino answered smugly. “But I thought it would be a more enjoyable evening if we had special company.”

Sakura scoffed. “And what a kind of special company.” Chaeyeon, feeling uncomfortable (and a little angry) at the sisters’ discussion, gave a step backwards.

“Perhaps it would be better-”

“No, no. I insist,” Rino said, gesturing for him to enter the room. Uncharacteristically for Chaeyeon, he faced Sakura’s glare with a strong stare as he entered the room. The notion of her seeing him as inferior irked him to no end, and, now with Princess Rino’s backing, it made him want to defy the woman, princess or no.

He sat down at a prudential distance from the women, having at least the notion that in this time and age, for aristocracy everywhere, men and women sitting together so close could be scandalous.

Almost immediately, the tea was served along with biscuits. It reminded Chaeyeon of his meeting with Master Shinyu, except this seemed way more formal than that.

“I was trying to entice Lee Chaeyeon-san to tell me about his journeys abroad,” Rino said before she gave a minute sip to the hot cup.

“My journeys abroad?” Chaeyeon asked, bewildered. They probably had no knowledge of him whatsoever, and he found it completely justified. After all, why would it be important for the Prince to tell his sisters all about an insignificant castaway?

“Hmm, I believe you are a traveler. Or am I wrong?” Rino turned to look at Sakura, who surprisingly showed a bit of interest in what Chaeyeon had to say.

“I am a courier,” Chaeyeon answered. “Back in Silla, I worked for a merchant, delivering letters for different recipients. This is the first time I have travelled this far.”

“Is that so? Then, how was this journey for you?”

“A little difficult,” Chaeyeon admitted sheepishly. “There were some setbacks. And now I am awaiting for the Prince to give me an answer.”

“His Grace,” Sakura interrupted. “His Grace is the correct term. Didn’t they teach you this?”

“I apologize, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon emphasized the last two words, making Sakura’s face contort in irritation for a slight moment. “My teacher didn’t tell me the correct way to address the Royal Family.”

“Did you come here alone?” Rino asked, wanting to steer the conversation back to the original topic, unbothered by Chaeyeon’s retort.

“No, I came with a crew. Unfortunately, there was a huge storm, so me and my friend, Yena, jumped to the sea with the delivery. I don’t know if the rest survived.” Chaeyeon gulped at the memory of one of the crew members, ordering him to throw dead weight to the sea.

“I am sorry to hear that,” Rino expressed tactfully, grabbing a part of her outer garment. “How have you found the temple thus far?”

“It has been alright,” Chaeyeon answered, grateful for the change in topic. “I haven’t done much but to learn Japanese and take walks around the temple.”

“You have never attended a ceremony?” Sakura asked, surprising Chaeyeon.

“I was never invited, and I never asked to be. Are they not exclusive to monks?”

“No, they are not, but they have rituals that must be observed,” Rino answered. “You should try asking your teacher about that.”

“I will,” he assured, taking a biscuit.

“Do you have family back home? Wife? Kids?”

“No,” Chaeyeon exclaimed, almost choking with the biscuit, completely taken off-guard by the question. “None of that.”

“And your parents? Siblings?” Chaeyeon grimaced.

“My mother has passed away. My father is working far from Silla. And my two sisters are also far, far away.” His heart ached at the thought of his sisters. He knew nothing bad would’ve happened to them when he came back... but he just missed them, missed Chaeryeong’s morning singing and Chaemin’s easy laughter.

“You miss them.” It was not a question.

“Like crazy,” Chaeyeon remarked longingly. Rino’s eyes softened.

“Do you perhaps like poetry?”

“I have never been too interested in it,” Chaeyeon answered truthfully.

“Do you know how to read?” Sakura asked bluntly. The young man didn’t know what to make of the tone, whether it was a subtle insult or simple curiosity (and knowledge about the way peasants led their life here), so he didn’t retort as he had done previously.

“I do not know how to read Japanese.”

“But you know how to read Korean?” Rino asked.

“Well, yes...” Chaeyeon trailed off, not wanting to explain a writing system that would not start existing until 500 years later. “But it’s not the way nobles write.”

“Interesting. You should teach us about it sometime, and we might teach you about Japanese writing as well.”

“Speak for yourself,” Chaeyeon heard Sakura grumble, irritating Chaeyeon again. What was with this woman’s mood?

“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your visit.”

“You are underestimating me. If I am curious about something, I won’t stop until I know everything there is to know about it.” The way the Princess worded her speech made Chaeyeon blush slightly, moving uncomfortably in his seat. Rino saw his reaction and smirked, while Sakura frowned.

“Well, would you be inclined to listen to poetry?” Chaeyeon nodded, his head still trying to function correctly.

‘Did the Princess just flirt with me?’

“Excellent. Why don’t you read us some poetry, Sakura?”

“Why don’t you read it yourself?” Sakura answered. “I’m sure he will delighted to hear your voice.”

“How can I read poems that are yours?” Rino countered. “You should take pride in your talent by reading them to our guest.” Sakura looked ready to argue, but then just nodded slowly. She asked one of her maids for a script, which was brought to her immediately.

“My place in the world:

Why should it bring me grief?

Mountain cherry

Blossom in my sight,

Were it ever so…”

Chaeyeon was quiet, expecting a longer poem, but when he saw both women looking at him expectantly, one more wary than the other, he cleared his throat.

“It was beautiful.” Sakura gave him a glare.

“Did you even understand it?”

“Why should my present circumstances in life bring me grief? I should accept things as they come, and find beauty in them... I think,” he added when he saw the women’s gazes.

“Perhaps your words are not only an interpretation of Sakura’s poem, but your own belief,” Rino expressed cunningly.

“Not quite,” Chaeyeon confessed. “I think it has been a while since I have seen beauty in living.” And it was true. He had to admit to himself that usually he was too sucked into his own problems that he often could not see the good things that still remained in his life. It wasn’t until he was stranded here that he missed those things. “But, I think, this should change. I should be able to see beauty, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Rino nodded in understanding.

“Have you ever tried writing a poem, in your native language?”

“Oh, no. I am not good with words,” Chaeyeon denied, waving his hands.

“Then, is there something related to art that you can do?”

“Uhm, I like dancing,” he answered hesitantly.

“Is that so?” Rino inquired, interested.

“But I haven’t done it in a long time,” Chaeyeon added hurriedly.

“I would like to see it,” Rino expressed, smirking a little. “Maybe you’ll be able to do so later on.”

“Your Highness, it is time to meet His Grace,” one of Rino’s maids announced before Chaeyeon could answer.

“Ah, what a disappointment,” she exclaimed, but still sported a smile on her face. “I guess this meeting must be cut short. It was enjoyable to speak to you.” Rino stood up slowly.

“Likewise,” Chaeyeon answered, quickly following Rino’s lead, standing up in a rush. He bowed at both princesses. “Then, I’ll be taking my leave. Excuse me.” He felt a gaze burning holes in his back, but he didn’t stop walking, realizing that it was already nearing dusk and he should be in his room by now.

‘Why did I even tell her that I dance?’

He knew why. Talking to someone like Princess Rino, who had been a nice company, despite the awkwardness of a first meeting, had been an unexpected delight. She had been encouraging, understanding, and had listened to his words like they mattered, like he mattered.

And she had flirted with him.

‘Are princesses allowed to be that direct?’ Chaeyeon wondered. ‘Well, why should I even care? With all that makeup on, she isn’t attractive, anyways. Wait! Of course she isn’t attractive! I don’t even like women.” Chaeyeon rubbed his cheeks anxiously. ‘Have I been living as a man for too long that I’m getting confused?’

He didn’t want to dwell on it too much, but there was also another Princess that made him think again about the evening.

‘And what’s wrong with Princess Sakura? Why was she treating me like that?’ Chaeyeon remembered her remarks, her skepticism at his simple understanding of a poem. ‘It’s not like I invited myself into their room. If she’s angry, she should take it out on her sister, not me. Well, if I think about it, she didn’t even speak all that much, so it’s fine. It could’ve been worse.’

Consoling himself, he opened the door to his room, which was already drowned in darkness.

Still, there was something about Sakura’s attitude that rubbed Chaeyeon the wrong way. Even if she hadn’t participated much in the conversation, her words made him want to prove himself to her, in any way possible.

He went to sleep with these thoughts in mind.

\--

\--


	8. Chapter 8

Morning had been a tranquil endeavor. Chaeyeon had had his early morning walk, he had had a small talk with some monks, who, for the first time, weren’t THAT curt, and had returned to his room for breakfast.

It had been while he was having breakfast, though, that his teacher had hurriedly let himself in. Chaeyeon exclaimed an indignant, “Hey!”, before the man spoke, huffing.

“His Grace is requesting you and your friend, at his room.” Chaeyeon’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Really? Now?”

“Yes, right now.” Chaeyeon jumped to his feet, running to the door, but stopping for a moment.

“Should I go tell Yena?”

Probably sensing Chaeyeon’s unease, the teacher answered, “No, I shall tell him.” And with a curt nod, he ran towards the Prince’s room.

Would it finally be the time to act? Would he finally have the next clue to be able to return home? He had been sitting ducks for so long, he was actually starting to lose hope, and his mind was starting to formulate plans to escape with the delivery.

He passed by other people hurriedly, apologizing half-assedly when he managed to barrel into someone. Arriving at the Prince’s room, he saw one monk pacing in front of the room. When the man saw him, he quickly gestured for Chaeyeon to enter, his face betraying something that Chaeyeon wasn’t privy to, but made him wary.

“Your Grace,” he said as he stepped into the room. The man, who was actually quite older than his sisters, nodded at him, as if to welcome Chaeyeon’s intrusion into his personal space. Bowing before sitting down in front of the small table that separated both men, he looked behind him for a moment.

“Where’s your friend?” the Prince asked inquisitively, raising an eyebrow.

“He will be here shortly,” Chaeyeon answered politely.

“You weren’t together?” the Prince asked again.

“No, Your Grace, I was having breakfast at my room,” Chaeyeon explained, not wanting the Prince to know that he and Yena weren’t on good terms.

Yena arrived shortly after, still using a crutch to help himself walk. Bowing at the Prince, he sat in front of the table, distancing himself from Chaeyeon as much as he could. It stung a little.

“Now that you’re both here, I have some questions for you,” the Prince started, his face now serious. “First, do you understand everything I am saying?”

“Yes, Your Grace, we understand you,” Chaeyeon answered for both men, surprisingly, not refuted by Yena.

“Excellent. Now, my first question to you would be, who sent you with this papers?”

“Master Shinyu, a merchant in the Kingdom of Silla,” Chaeyeon answered.

“Did you work for him directly or were you hired for this one job?”

“We worked for him, Your Grace.”

“Do you know how to read?”

“No, Your Grace. We’re both illiterate.”

“I see. And were you aware of the purpose of this delivery?”

“No, Your Grace, we were just under our captain. He told us just the things he felt we needed to know.” The Prince raised his eyebrow.

“And you, young man. Why are you not answering?” he asked, directing his question at Yena.

“I don’t have much to say, sir,” Yena answered calmly. It made Chaeyeon sigh inwardly in relief.

“I’d like for you to answer my questions, then. I’ve heard enough from him.”

“Yes, sir,” Yena answered.

“Did you know the purpose of the delivery?”

“No, sir. Honestly, I came because he came, too.” Chaeyeon flinched internally.

“So you don’t have any idea about the whole operation?”

“No, sir.”

“And how did the both of you arrive here?”

“There was a storm,” Yena recounted. “So me and Chaeyeon, we grabbed the delivery and jumped to the sea with it.” The Prince looked surprised at his words.

“Just like that?”

“Yes, sir. We don’t know much about it, but we had to take it with us.”

“And how did you get here?”

“We reached a beach. We both walked into the island, because we had no food or water. Some time into our trek, we passed out and we woke up here.” The Prince rubbed his chin at Yena’s words.

“And you both truly have no idea about what the writings contain.”

“No, sir.” “No, Your Grace.”

“I see.”

“Uhm, can I ask a question, Your Grace?” Chaeyeon asked carefully. At the Prince’s consent, he asked.

“What is going to happen to us?”

“What is going to happen to you?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Will we return to Silla? Or...” The Prince smiled.

“We don’t know what we will do with you two, yet.” Chaeyeon wringed his hands nervously, and, at the corner of his eyes noticed Yena was squirming uneasily.

“Well, that is all I need from you, for now. You are dismissed.” Both men bowed in their seats before standing up, Yena having more trouble than Chaeyeon to do so. The younger man wanted to help, but found himself fearing Yena’s reaction if he tried to. Instead, he waited for the older man to be on his feet to start walking towards the door.

When both had finally exited the room, they stood awkwardly in front of the door, neither willing to talk to each other, nor to leave to their own endeavors.

“Uhm,” Chaeyeon said first, reminded by Rino’s counsel. “I know you probably don’t want to speak to me... But I think I ought to thank you for everything you have done for me. You risked your life and don’t think I don’t appreciate that... I know I told you that I... I don’t think of you as a fool, never have... You are actually a very brave man, and a good friend.” Chaeyeon scuffed his foot, waiting for an answer, but deflated when he received none.

“I guess, that is all I wanted to say.” He bowed slightly, walking towards his own room.

“Wait.” Chaeyeon froze on the spot. He heard steps (and sounds of the crutch hitting the ground) getting closer to him. “Can we speak? In private?”

“Y-yes!” the younger man answered immediately.

“Let’s go to my room.” And there was no objection. The walk to Yena’s room was silent, only the sound of the rest of the world waking up with a new day. Chaeyeon had a passing thought about the princesses, but shook it quickly from his head.

When they had finally gotten to Yena’s room, and both men were sitting comfortably, Yena sighed before speaking.

“I can’t let you be like this,” he started, giving a sound of dissent when Chaeyeon opened his mouth to speak. “I can’t let you think that this is your fault. You’re right. It isn’t. I was the one who followed you here. You did try to come here alone. The thing is...” Yena rubbed the floor with his fingers. “I was angry at you. At first, my anger was because of your lies. I have shown nothing but complete trust towards you, and I have always considered you a friend. So, when I thought that you were lying to me, that it was because you didn’t trust me enough, it hurt. What have I ever done to make you distrust me?” Chaeyeon opened his mouth to interject, but Yena interrupted him. “Wait, I’m not finished. However, as the days went by, you never apologized. You apologized for putting me in this situation, which, again, is not your fault, but you never apologized about the things that you said. I realized that you are completely serious about what you told me, and that, for you, your words were the truth. And then, I was hurt because if your outlandish story was real, then that meant that you would leave me behind, that you are going to wherever you have to, and I was going to be alone, again.”

“I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon expressed.

“No, I don’t want another apology!” Yena raised his voice, surprising himself and Chaeyeon. He cleared his throat and continued more calmly. “I just wanted you to know that. I don’t hold anything that has happened until now against you.”

“Thank you, really,” Chaeyeon said. “I know I can’t really do much for you now, but, if you want, I can try to get you back to Silla, so that you can go back to your family.”

Yena sighed. “I have no family.”

“What? But you told me...”

“I know, and I wasn’t lying to you, at least, not entirely. My parents were peasants and my brothers were just starting to work on the fields, too. But...” Yena grabbed onto his own clothes, squeezing them until his knuckles were white. “There was a revolt. I had been far from them at the time, but when I returned, there was nothing left of them but ashes.”

“I am so sorry,” Chaeyeon expressed sorrowfully, wishing to console Yena but not knowing how to.

“It’s not your fault, either... So you see,” Yena voiced, his voice more withdrawn. “I couldn’t even be rightfully angry at you for lying because I lied to you, too.”

Chaeyeon, not knowing what else to do, put his hand on top of Yena’s, who moved to squeeze his hand in a painful manner, but the younger man didn’t complain, bearing the brunt of Yena’s strength. They didn’t say anything for a moment, until Yena released his hold on Chaeyeon’s hand.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” Chaeyeon said, standing up, taking Yena’s body language as a sign that he wanted to be alone. “And, if there’s anything you want me to do for you before we part ways, name it. I’ll do what I can to grant it.” He knew he wanted to return home as soon as possible, but he didn’t want to leave without thanking Yena for his help. He owed him as much.

He took Yena’s small smile as an affirmation and he left, his heart lighter.

\--

\--

Chaeyeon was woken by small knocks on his door. Jumping to stand up, he hurried to open the door, as he had never been sought out like that in the morning. He usually had time for leisure before he even had to see another person.

Opening the door, he found a girl waiting with a letter. The girl, most likely one of the Princesses’ maids, bowed, giving him the letter. He gave her a greeting before he took the letter, opening it carefully.

‘By the early evening

A dancer found his way

Through the joyous

Sound of music.’

Chaeyeon thanked the girl, who nodded at him and left at once.

“An invitation?” he murmured, saving the letter among his clothes. Now that he was wide awake, he decided to take his walk early, knowing that breakfast would take a few hours to arrive.

An invitation... to what? Would Rino send to look for him again? Or was this a public affair? Moreover, did the Princess expect him to dance? The last thought filled him with panic and expectation at the same time. There were few times she danced back in her time. Nowadays, she only danced when her sisters asked her to, mostly probably trying to cheer her up or see the Chaeyeon that had lived inside her body before shit hit the fan. Even then, she had already gotten rusty.

He had the mind to practice, but to what would he practice? There was no music and no place for him to peacefully do what he wanted. He would usually wander into the forest, but it was still too early for him to leave, fearing getting lost among the dense foliage. He would just walk to the lake to try and have a peaceful morning, hoping that his usual pessimistic thoughts wouldn’t be there. Bathing was also an option, but, despite his own sense of hygiene, disliked having to bathe, as it represented a challenge in which he had to take double the care to not be seen. Well, it was very early and most monks who were already awake would often be at the temple, performing morning rituals, so it was improbable that someone would find him. Moreover, he usually had to change his bandages for new ones, so why not bathe now?

Battling with himself internally, he finally decided to bathe.

After the bath, which had no incidents, thankfully, he returned to his room, wanting to dry and put up his hair in his customary (unfashionable to most monks) bun.

Closer to the time of breakfast, there was a knock at his door. Chaeyeon was surprised to see Yena coming in through the door.

“Would you like to have breakfast with me?” Yena asked, his voice subdued.

“Sure. In your room or mine?”

“Your room,” Yena answered, walking towards Chaeyeon, sitting in front of him.

“Looks like you bathed,” Yena stated.

“Yeah, already felt the need to,” Chaeyeon answered, hoping Yena would feel better. It was very apparent to the younger man how quiet Yena seemed to be.

“Do you bathe constantly? In the future?” The question made Chaeyeon freeze, as he still expected Yena not to believe him at all.

“Yes, it’s expected of you.”

“Why? Isn’t it difficult to get water to bathe every day?”

“Well, no. In the future, obtaining water is quite easy for most people.”

“Hah, must be nice,” Yena answered, scratching his nose. “What else is there in the future?”

“Are- are you serious?” Chaeyeon asked, half-believing that Yena was playing with him.

“Well, I did tell you that I thought you were saying the truth, didn’t I?”

“I just, I just know that my story is hard to believe.”

“And yet you trusted me enough to tell me.” Yena smiled wryly. “So, what else is there? Where do you even come from?”

“Well...” Chaeyeon hesitated. Although Yena was the one who had started the conversation, he was afraid that the older man would disbelieve him again if he even tried to describe the future to him.

“I come from Silla,” Chaeyeon started. “But, at the time I live in, it is not called Silla anymore.”

“Then, how is it called?”

“The Republic of Korea.”

“The what, now?” Yena looked confused. Chaeyeon repeated himself.

“And,” he continued. “I live way far into the future.”

“How far?” Yena asked, his face now betraying some disbelief.

“Very, very far. Far enough to be completely different from the country that you know.”

“You can’t tell me anything else?” Yena looked disappointed, whether in Chaeyeon or in the conversation, the younger man didn’t know.

“I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon apologized. “It’s just that I fear that if I tell you more, you won’t believe me, and you’ll distrust me again.” They stayed silent for a moment, and Chaeyeon feared the worst.

“Well, if that’s the case,” Yena said after a while. “I won’t ask.”

“You’re serious? But do you still believe me?” Chaeyeon asked, gaping at the older man.

“I’m going to be honest. I have trouble believing you, not because I think you are lying, but because it’s rather incredible to think that you, someway, somehow, come from the future. However, I do still consider you a friend, a sibling, even, and I’d rather we be alright again than have us be fighting the whole time.”

“Thank you,” Chaeyeon said, thankful for Yena’s honesty, but hurt at the obvious disbelief, even when Chaeyeon understood the situation completely.

“Anyways, changing the topic,” Yena started, his voice lighter than a few moments ago. “Have you seen one of the Princesses’ maids.”

“There are many Princesses’ maids,” Chaeyeon answered, his voice also lighter, grateful at Yena’s attempt at crossing the bridge.

“But, but,” Yena countered. “None as beautiful as this one.”

“Well, what’s her name?” Chaeyeon asked, knowing that even if Yena knew her name, he wouldn’t even know who he was talking about, as he had only interacted with the Princesses and their entourage when the situation called for it (read: when they interacted with him).

“Her name is Juri, and she is beautiful,” the older man answered, clutching his chest dramatically. Chaeyeon chuckled, feeling happy to see his friend less burdened.

“Have you spoken to her?”

“That’s the thing!” Yena jumped in his seat. “I tried catching her when she was alone, but she’s always with the Princess!”

“Then how do you even know her name?” Chaeyeon asked, confused.

“A man has his sources,” he winked.

“You asked around?” The younger man was amused.

“I asked around! I also asked if anyone knew their schedule, but everyone looked at me as if I had grown a second head!” Yena pouted at the memory.

“Well,” Chaeyeon started. “You do know you can’t exactly interact with them if they don’t talk to you first, right?”

“That is a thing?” Yena gaped at Chaeyeon.

“Yes, remember the Princesses ARE royalty, even their maids have a higher social standing than us.”

“Why is that even a thing?” Yena grumbled. “She is a pretty woman. I am a pretty handsome guy, if I do say so myself.” Chaeyeon snorted. “Why can’t we be?”

“That is life,” Chaeyeon answered simplistically.

“How about you? You haven’t- oh,” Yena trailed off, realizing late what he was about to say. “I’m sorry. I really have forgotten who you are.”

“It’s alright,” Chaeyeon dismissed, feeling weird at the thought of having his most intimate friend also see him entirely as a man. I mean, he kind of knew he was perceived like that by everyone, but this type of interactions really drove the point home. “You did tell me you were going to forget.”

“It’s just that... Although you are not that manly looking,” Yena explained. “Your voice, your behavior, your, well, everything, makes me forget that you are a woman.”

“I know. It is strange,” Chaeyeon acquiesced. She did also have to admit that it was weird to refer to herself as a woman. Since the day the old woman had dressed her in man’s clothes and had told her those directives, Chaeyeon had truly referred herself as a man ever since. It reached the point where even when she bathed and looked at her body, it was difficult to refer to herself as a woman. If she thought about it, it made her feel  a little anxious, and quite saddened at the loss of her femininity.

To be honest, it made her even doubt who she was as a person.

“Anyways, no, I haven’t looked at any person like that, at all,” Chaeyeon said, trying to get his mind off of those thoughts.

“Are you sure?” Yena asked, elongating the last word teasingly.

“Yes, I am sure,” Chaeyeon assured. “Who would even want to be with pompous idiots like them?”

“Oh, I am sorry, Mister Elitist. Who would then please our Chaeyeon?”

“I am not even sure,” Chaeyeon confessed. “I never had the time to look at someone like that.”

“How could you not have the time to look at someone like that? There is always time to appreciate attractive people!”

“I just never could.” Chaeyeon had spent most of her middle-school days dancing her body away, so for her liking boys had never been an important thing. It made her disgusted even, when her friends spoke about it. In high-school, she had spent most of her time taking care of his father and sisters to even care about romance. With the loss of her friends, the topic of boys was never touched upon again, and she didn’t even care.

“You are a weird person, Lee Chaeyeon.”

“As if you are anything better, Choi Yena,” the younger man retorted.

“Hah, maybe you are right,” Yena drawled. “But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to talk to that woman.”

“You are wasting your time,” Chaeyeon advised, although with a very lighthearted tone.

“Well, if I am to waste my time while my leg heals, why not waste it on a pretty girl.”

“You really are something else,” Chaeyeon laughed, shaking his head.

One monk brought food for Chaeyeon, and, noticing Yena was there, brought another serving for him a few moments later.

“So,” Yena spoke as he shoved another spoonful of rice in his mouth. “What do you think is the Prince’s deal? With us.”

“I don’t know,” Chaeyeon responded, pinching his nose anxiously. “I mean, I don’t think he wants to hurt us, but that isn’t much, is it?”

“Well, it’s a start,” Yena said. “The important thing is... how are getting home?”

“Uh, well...” Chaeyeon started awkwardly. “I’m not sure if I’m going back to Silla.”

“So you have other plans,” Yena stated.

“Well, maybe,” Chaeyeon declared hesitantly. “I need to see that delivery through.”

“But it’s already here, where it needed to be delivered. What’s there to do?” Yena narrowed his eyes. “There is something else, isn’t it?”

“There is,” Chaeyeon admitted easily, not wanting to lie to Yena. “But I’m not sure if you’ll hear me out.”

“Do tell.”

“It’s just... This delivery is connected to my way back home.”

“Your way back...” Yena thought about it for a moment, before something seemed to click in his head.

“Do you mean those writings? Are they your ticket back to your time?”

“Not the writings, per se. But it’s something connected to them.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t know. As I said first, there is something pulling me to this.” Although Chaeyeon definitely didn’t want to lie, he’d have to hide that weird creature that put him here. As it was, Yena barely believed him, he didn’t want to alienate him even more. “A feeling, if you will.”

“But they are already in the hands of their rightful owner.”

“We don’t know that,” Chaeyeon countered. “I gave it to them because I though it would help our case, but we have no idea if they were the recipients of the writings. For all I know, I gave the writings to the wrong kind of people.”

“They are monks. What kind of wrong people could they be?”

“You never know.”

“Then what? Are you going to steal the writings back? Where are you even going to go?”

“That, I don’t know,” Chaeyeon answered, lolling his head to the side. “It depends on what the Prince wants to do with us. There are many possibilities.”

Yena nodded pensively.

“Well, whatever it is, you better hurry up thinking of a plan. You don’t have much time.”

\--

 

It wasn’t long before their teacher announced to them the festivities that were going to take place in lieu of a welcome for both princesses. Chaeyeon had to fake his surprise at the event, and Yena had looked a bit too excited. Boredom did that to a man, Chaeyeon guessed.

However, it still took several hours until they were called to the party by another monk. At that moment, Yena scrambled from his seat, not even finishing his own speech. Chaeyeon arched his eyebrow, but said nothing, instead, grabbing Yena’s crutch and handing it to the older man.

“Nah, leave that old thing here.”

“And how are you planning to walk?” Chaeyeon asked, eyeing Yena’s leg skeptically.

“I am doing far better than you think. If I need help, just lend me your shoulder for a bit.”

“If you’re doing better, why are you still using that thing?”

“Hey! Don’t look at me like that! I still need it somewhat, but I won’t die if I don’t use it. It just hurts a bit.”

“You should be more careful if you want to heal.”

“I know. I know,” Yena nodded haphazardly. “It’s just that... Well, I don’t want Juri to see me with that thing.”

It was a thing of pride, Chaeyeon could recognize, and nodded, knowing Yena wouldn’t budge. The younger man left the crutch on the floor, amused at the sight of a shyer Yena. He had really fallen for that girl, hadn’t he?

“I still think you’re wasting your time,” Chaeyeon said as he opened the door to his room, stepping outside.

“And I still think I have a chance,” Yena shot back, walking slowly. “Be gentle with me. I’ll go a bit slow.”

And with Chaeyeon’s nod, they walked towards the hall meant for such festivities.

It was a foreign feeling, making Chaeyeon feel out of place. He wondered if it was because he wasn’t of this time period, but when he turned to look at his friend, he looked dizzy as well, which made him feel better.

Having never entered to this particular room, Chaeyeon hadn’t the slightest idea of how big the hall would be, but was awed at the size. Most monks invited to the event were already sitting in front of a sizable spread of food (weren’t monks supposed to practice self-sacrifice), which made Chaeyeon’s mouth water. He had never seen some of the food in there, but it had been a long time since Chaeyeon had been able to eat anything other than gruel, rice, and kimbap. Everything looked like a delicacy.

The Prince, along with his sisters, were sitting at the far end of the table, far from the entrance to the hall. It was definitely designed so that he was the first thing you saw when you entered.

“Let’s sit,” Chaeyeon said, guiding Yena towards one of the last occupied seats.

“Wait,” one of the monks said. “These are not your seats.”

“Then, where...” Chaeyeon was interrupted by the monk.

“There, next to His Grace.” Both men gaped at the news, knowing the implication of sitting at that end of the table. Walking towards it, Yena elbowed Chaeyeon in the ribs, making the latter hiss.

“You think he wants us close to see when we die by poison?” Yena asked, half-jokingly, half-anxiously.

“He’s not going to kill us... here,” Chaeyeon ended his sentence with uncertainty. “If anything, he’ll kill us when all this is over.”

Letting himself believe that his own words were meant to be a joke, he bowed at the royalty now in front of him. The Prince held a neutral expression, unchanged at both men’s acknowledgement, while the princesses held distinct, far from indifferent, expressions.

“Thank you for having us here,” Chaeyeon commented as he settled in his seat.

“On the contrary,” Rino answered. “We are honored to have you on this celebration.” The woman smiled, but, different from her usual smiles, this one looked almost smug, which made Chaeyeon’s anxiety skyrocket.

“So, I hadn’t met your friend before,” the Princess stated, looking at Yena, who jumped in his seat at the attention. Chaeyeon fought hard not to facepalm.

“Y-yes. My n-name is Choi Yena,” the older man said, bowing as deep as he could in his sitting position.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Rino said, her expression barely hiding the laughter she was trying to hold. “My name is Rino, and my sister...” The Princess glanced at Sakura, who, reluctantly, also acknowledged Yena.

“I am Princess Sakura,” she clarified, not looking at Yena, but at Chaeyeon instead, which the latter found strange.

“Yes. I-I’m very honored to meet you.”

“So, Lee Chaeyeon,” Rino said, taking no more notice of the man who, still flustered, bowed his head in embarrassment. “Have you been well in the past days?”

Chaeyeon blinked. “Yes, I’ve been well.”

“Have you practiced? You know, since you told me you didn’t remember much?” Rino’s words, like before, seemed calculated, and although Chaeyeon couldn’t fully understand the meaning behind them, he blushed.

“No, I’m sorry to say. I’ve been absorbed in learning to speak better.”

“Well, that’s admirable. Making use of empty time.”

“I guess so.” Chaeyeon shrugged. The Prince cleared his throat, marking their conversation as over.

“So, Lee Chaeyeon-san,” the Prince started, his countenance more rigid that when they had seen each other last time. “I have some doubts of my own.”

“Ask away, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon answered, straightening his back.

“Have you ever encountered foes on your travels?”

“Thieves, once.” Chaeyeon omits the fact that it was the only time he had ever made a delivery.

“And how did you handle it?”

“Well, it was nighttime when they came. Me and my partner, we had just started sleeping when I heard strange sounds. I woke him up, and, since we saw no one, decided to run away.”

“If you couldn’t see them, wasn’t that dangerous?” the Prince asked, his mouth contorted in a grimace.

“It was,” Chaeyeon admitted. “But we had no idea of how many people were out there, and if we stayed on our places, they could much more easily attack us.”

The Prince nodded. “If they were thieves, and they believed you to be asleep, they would, most likely, have stolen your belongings, sparing your life.”

“It might be so, but it was important to get the delivery to its destination. We could not let them take it.”

“And I assume you got away.”

“Not quite. We knew it would be difficult to outsmart them. They were three, and they weren’t exactly young lads, like us, so we had to find a way to take them out.”

“Did you fight them?” the Prince looked uncomfortable at the prospect.

“Not really. We hid close to a ditch, and when time was appropriate, we pushed two of them into the ditch. We had to fend off the third man, though.”

“Did you know how to fight?”

“No, we are not fighters, so we had to improvise, find a way to not let him hurt us.” The Prince hummed.

“And that partner of yours, was it this young man?”

“No, it was someone else, but rest assured Yena is also a smart person,” Chaeyeon answered, hurrying to praise his friend.

“So you have never killed anyone?” the Prince asked critically.

“No,” Chaeyeon answered, appalled at the idea itself. Stabbing that thief’s ankle made him guilty as is, he could never imagine taking someone else’s life.

“I believe that is an unpleasant question to ask our guest now, of all moments,” Rino asserted firmly. “Let’s enjoy the celebrations.”

“Yes, you are right,” the Prince answered, which marveled Chaeyeon. How was the Prince listening to Princess Rino?

There was a small silence.

“I heard Jun has traveled to the Minamoto clan to hold the wedding preparations,” Sakura said, trying to ease the atmosphere between her older siblings.

“That is right,” Rino said, smiling slightly. “His wedding will be next moon. Are you planning on going, brother?”

“If there are no impediments, yes,” the Prince answered, his voice more serene, his stance more relaxed. “His wife, she’s from the Tachibana, is she not?”

“She is,” Sakura answered. “Tachibana no Reina.”

“Reina-san,” the Prince reaffirmed. “I haven’t seen her in quite a while.”

“Sadly, she doesn’t come to the palace as often as she used to,” Rino answered. “She only came once after I returned.”

“That happens when you leave for a long time,” Sakura expressed dryly, although Chaeyeon could notice a tint of melancholy in her words.

“Chaeyeon,” Yena whispered in his ear. “Do you think we can leave this place? It’s getting too stuffy.”

“I don’t think we can. It might look rude to them,” Chaeyeon whispered back.

“Is there something of interest you are talking about?” the Prince asked, his eyebrow raised.

“Oh, ah,” Chaeyeon stalled. “I’m not sure I should say.”

“Were you saying something not sound?”

“No, not at all. He, ah, was asking me if I knew were the bathroom was.”

“Ask one of the monks,” Sakura interjected, her gaze conveying the disbelief she had at Chaeyeon’s explanation.

“Ah, yes,” Chaeyeon said, standing up. “Let’s go, Yena.”

“I’m pretty sure he can find out for himself,” the Prince said, giving no room for objections.

“Yes,” Chaeyeon answered, bowing slightly and sitting down again. Yena looked at him in a slight panic, but Chaeyeon sent him a look, mentally telling him to go. The older man nodded, leaving for a while.

“Is there anything of interest you have spoken with Choi Yena?”

“Not at all,” Chaeyeon denied. “There’s not much for us to talk to, except about what to do.”

“What to do?”

“What to do if you are letting us go.” The Prince nodded, drinking from a cup a monk had brought him a few moments ago.

“And? What is your plan?”

“I’m not sure. I think Yena wants to go back to Silla.”

“And you?”

“As for me...” Chaeyeon drank from a cup a monk handed him. “Thank you. As for me, I’m not sure where to go next.”

“Weren’t you working in Silla?”

“I was. But I don’t think our master will welcome us after this. So, I’m not sure of whether to stay in Silla or go somewhere else.”

“You don’t have family in Silla?”

“No, Your Grace.”

“Is there anything for you to do in foreign lands?”

“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t hurt to try.” Chaeyeon eyed the Princesses, who were speaking with each other, hoping the Prince didn’t know and didn’t ask about his parents or siblings. There was another lull in the conversation.

“Are you and Choi Yena close?” Rino turned to ask him, Sakura eyeing him as well.

“He is my friend, yes.”

“Is that why you call him with a nickname?”

“Pardon?” Chaeyeon asked, confused.

“Yena, is that your nickname to him?”

“No, that is his given name,” Chaeyeon answered, even more confused when he saw the bewildered looks of the two Princesses.

“His given name is not Choi Yena?”

“No, Choi is his surname.”

“He has a surname?” Rino asked, her expression one of utmost surprise.

“We both have a surname,” Chaeyeon answered, internally freaking out.

“You have a surname as well?”

“Yes, I’m Lee Chaeyeon. My surname is Lee and my given name is Chaeyeon.” Both princesses looked at each other, the younger princess more surprised than the other.

“Are you not commoners?”

“We are,” Chaeyeon affirmed.

“And you both have a surname...”

“Yes,” Chaeyeon nodded.

“Well, isn’t this interesting,” Rino answered, her mouth quirked in a strange smile, while Sakura still looked bewildered.

Chaeyeon cleared his throat. “If I may ask, what is your surname?”

“The monks haven’t told you?” Rino asked.

“They don’t tell me much about the customs in Japan.”

“We have no surname. Only the nobles or the Emperor’s chosen descendants have a surname.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Rino smiled, amused at Chaeyeon’s ignorance.

“Having no surname in the royal family is a good thing.”

“Ah,” Chaeyeon exclaimed, not knowing what else to answer.

“Do all commoners have surnames? In Silla?”

“I... am not sure,” Chaeyeon answered, feeling confused. He knew that at some point in history peasants had no surname, but Yena had told him his, didn’t he?

Conveniently for him, Yena arrived at the moment, making him inwardly sigh in relief.

“I am sorry for being tardy,” Yena said, bowing slightly before sitting down. Rino acknowledged him in passing before turning to look at Chaeyeon.

“You are not sure?”

“I... think so. Yena, commoners usually have surnames, right?”

“No, not really,” Yena answered, confused at the question.

“But you have a surname.”

“I don’t,” Yena scratched his head in embarrassment.

“You don’t? What do you mean you don’t?”

“Well, when we presented ourselves to each other, I told you my family’s old master’s surname... I though it would sound more refined to present myself with a surname...” Chaeyeon felt a huge need to facepalm, but decided not to.

“I do have a surname, though,” Chaeyeon affirmed, turning to look at Rino. She raised an eyebrow, as if wordlessly questioning his unsure behavior, but let it go.

“Where were you born?”

“In a city called Yongin,” Chaeyeon answered.

“In what province?”

“Ah, Gyeonggi,” Chaeyeon said, slapping Yena’s thigh so as to warn him against showing a reaction to his response. He was very sure Gyeonggi wasn’t the name of any province in Silla, but he didn’t remember the names of the existing provinces in this time.

“And you are a commoner?” Rino asked, emphasizing each of her words, as if daring Chaeyeon to lie.

“Yes,” Chaeyeon answered, looking at Rino in the eye. She held his gaze for a few moments, before someone cleared their voice.

“Dear sister, Ryosuke told me the musicians are ready.” Her smile was dangerous, betraying the light tone the younger princess talked to her sister with.

“Is that so?” Rino smiled at Sakura innocently. “What do you think, brother?”

Tomiyasu, who had been listening to the conversation silently, nodded, giving another gulp at his cup.

“It’s time to start.” He raised his hand, and a monk appeared at his side in an instant. “Tell the musicians to start.” The monk nodded, rushing to relay the message.

The music was what Chaeyeon more or less expected of the time. What surprised her a little was some of the instruments, which reminded her of the traditional korean instruments, but the sound they’d made was different. It intrigued her a little.

Most people were now quiet, listening to the performance. Chaeyeon turned to look at his friend, who seemed entranced, and Chaeyeon would’ve been inclined to believe it was because of the performance if it wasn’t blatant that Yena was staring to a performer in particular.

‘That must be Juri,’ he thought, laughing under his breath.

The performance was over, but there was no applause, like Chaeyeon expected. Instead, everyone just talked under their breath, making Chaeyeon think it was probably not a good performance. What was a good performance for them then?

“The music was a balm to our souls, I am sure,” Rino spoke out, and everyone turned to look at her, including the musicians. “Performances like this are not able to be found all to often. If you would also open your heart for this beautiful art, I’d like to have you enjoy a visual performance, like one you have never seen, performed by one of out guests, Lee Chaeyeon.”

‘Wait, what?’

Everyone turned to look at him and Yena, probably unknowing of who of the two men was the so called Lee Chaeyeon. With a burning face, and a beating heart filled with anxiety, Chaeyeon stood up. He wished he could tell Rino that she was making a huge mistake, but he knew he couldn’t rebuke the Princess in public.

It didn’t stop him from turning to look at the Princess, pleading for help. What he found was Princess Sakura, who laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. Even then, Chaeyeon could hear what she said next.

“He’s going to make a fool of himself.”

It made his blood boil. He didn’t know much about Princess Sakura, but what little he knew, he was sure she was a huge pain in the butt. Arrogant, stuffy, snobbish. Having been looked down on through a good chunk of his later life, he wouldn’t let it happen now, not if he had the chance.

Storming towards the musicians, he had the passing thought that he was overreacting. Sakura hadn’t interacted with him much, and hadn’t been as nasty as a person could be (and he knew at what extent could people go). There was something about her that irked him, though. Maybe it was the fact that he was inherently being looked down, when the Princess didn’t even know where he came from or what was his story. At some point, he understood why people looked down on her when she was back in her time, as she knew people wouldn’t look kindly at a drunkard, a gambler and her daughters. She knew the loan sharks wouldn’t look kindly at the daughter of someone who owed them a fortune. She knew that drug addicts tried to pretend they still had a moral compass and looked down on her for providing what they desperately craved for.

But Sakura looking down on her without knowing anything about her was unacceptable.

He stood in the middle of the hall, where he looked at everyone head on.

“This dance,” he spoke out. “This dance might be different from anything you have seen, but I hope you enjoy it.”

The music started, and he let himself go, giving his all to the performance.

She had never done this type of dance, as she had always been more inclined towards hip hop and break-dancing. She had done some contemporary dance lessons a while back, and she hoped that was enough.

Suddenly, she had no concept of time, moving as her body dictated, not having to consciously think her next move. It was, like many of the things she had done or felt in this time period, an opening, a pandora box of emotions that had been trapped inside hopelessness and sadness.

It felt like seconds, so when the music stopped and she opened her eyes, her heart was still yearning, yearning for dancing, for the expression of her soul that she’d had abandoned as life got harder.

Searching for the Princess, not having forgotten the thing that had made her so pumped up in the first place, she gave her a a smug smile, reveling in her gaping mouth and wide eyes. Everyone else seemed pretty surprised as well. No one spoke a word, as they had done when the previous performance had ended.

Not knowing the protocol done after finishing a performance, she bowed, walking towards her seat, where Yena waited for her.

“Wow, Lee Chaeyeon. Wow!” the older man said as Chaeyeon sat down on his seat. He grabbed the younger man’s shoulder, shaking him. “Where did you learn that?”

“Why?” Chaeyeon asked, his heart empty of the bravado he had felt earlier. “Was it good?”

“It was great! Like nothing I’ve ever seen! You were like a... like a... like a feather!”

“That was...” Rino spoke out, her face betraying surprise. “An interesting performance.”

“Is that a compliment?” Chaeyeon asked, truly curious of the answer.

“It is,” Rino answered. “You definitely were right when you said it wouldn’t be something we have seen. But it was... powerful.” The Princess turned to look at her sister, who was still shocked, her eyes filled with surprise and... awe? “What do you think, Sakura?”

The younger princess seemed to come out of whatever stupor she was in, and answered. “It was... it was... it was a good dance,” she said, ducking her head when Chaeyeon turned to look at her questioningly.

“And you, brother?”

“You definitely have talent,” the Prince answered. “And I am also curious about the place you have learned to dance.”

“I learned in Yongin, but then I moved to another place called Seoul.”

“Is that so? And is this the traditional dance in Silla?”

“No, not at all. My teacher was,” Chaeyeon wet his lips with his tongue. “Experimental.”

“He really was experimental,” the Prince answered.

And the festivities went on, the ambience settling down a few moments after Chaeyeon’s performance. The conversation both men had with the royals was more subdued, with the Prince choosing to speak with other monks whose names Chaeyeon didn’t know, and Rino being the main interlocutor.

It reached a point in which Chaeyeon was exhausted, so he decided to walk towards his room, hoping that the Prince wouldn’t rebuke him for his absence.

Already in front of his quarters, a man slammed into him, throwing both of them to the ground.

“What...?” Chaeyeon coughed. “Teacher?”

“Oh, Lee Chaeyeon,” the teacher slurred, smiling stupidly at his pupil.

“Are you alright?” Chaeyeon asked, standing up to help the teacher.

“Better than ever,” the man replied cheerfully. “Oh, here, here... Could you come with me for a moment?”

“Eh...” Chaeyeon looked around for someone to help him carry the drunk man, but finding no one, he sighed. “Alright.”

Taking his teacher was far more difficult than he already expected it to be, as the man was heavy and he had terrible balance while drunk. Chaeyeon released a sigh of relief when they finally arrived at the teacher’s quarters.

“Lee... Chaeyeon, don’t leave... Don’t leave,” the teacher whined as Chaeyeon deposited him on the floor.

 

“Rest for a little,” Chaeyeon advised, trying to get up. A hand stopped him.

“There’s is something I want to show you,” he said, smiling as he pointed at a particular bureau. “It’s there, take it for me.”

While Chaeyeon didn’t trust the man’s senses in the moment (and he was dead tired), he decided to obey the teacher. Opening the top drawer, her eyes widened at what she found.

“This?” Chaeyeon asked, showing the teacher the writings she hadn’t seen in several months. The writings she had willingly jumped into the sea for.

“Right! Those!” the teacher said enthusiastically, clumsily beckoning Chaeyeon with his hand. “This... These are papers that the Prince gave me as a gift... The writing is pheno...phen... phenomenal...”

“Do you mind me asking what do they say?” Chaeyeon asked carefully, not willing to let this opportunity pass.

“I haven’t taught you these characters yet, right?” the man asked, lolling his head backwards for a moment.

“Why don’t you take them with you?”

“Eh?” Chaeyeon asked, bewildered.

“Take them with you,” the teacher said, straightening his head again, but this time around, his voice and his expression were of a completely sober person. “You might need them for later.”

“W-why would I need them?” Chaeyeon asked, taken aback (and frankly, scared) at the teacher’s sudden change.

“I cannot tell you yet, as I’m afraid there is too many risks of someone overhearing... Just know that this you will need... Look for Shinfu, the rocks...” the teacher’s expression changed without warning again. “I’m too tired... I’m sleeping now, thank you, friend.” The teacher slouched, closing his eyes.

“Ah, uh.” Feeling whiplash at the teacher’s words, Chaeyeon nodded, bowing before running towards his room.

When she reached her room, Chaeyeon looked at the writings anxiously, the questions already forming in her head. Did he know something about her? Did he know that monster? Could this be a trap? Saving the writings in her clothing, she laid down.

Despite everything, she wasn’t able to think about it for long, as she collapsed into dreamland almost immediately.


	9. Chapter 9

The day after the celebration seemed much more calm than what he expected, considering he had seen way to many people wasted. Weren’t monks supposed to practice abnegation?

Yena had stayed behind, telling him to rest easy and not wait for him(as well as calling him a party pooper, or that’s what Chaeyeon imagined, since he didn’t understand Yena’s words).

However, just because he had called it an early night didn’t mean anyone else had had. It was when an unknown monk opened the door, bringing him breakfast, that he realized that the rest of the rest of the party-goers had probably had a few excesses.

The monk had just placed the bowl on Chaeyeon’s hands, gave a passing remark about his performance, and left, probably to nurse his own hangover.

Finishing his bowl of rice quickly, he decided to pay Yena a visit, guessing that he would also be way too hangover to be on his own.

And right enough, Yena was in his room, sleeping on the floor, contorted in a fetal position which looked too painful for Chaeyeon.

“Yena,” the younger man called his friend, shaking his body slightly. “Yena, wake up.”

It took several tries, but he finally managed to arouse him from sleep. The older man groaned, slapping Chaeyeon’s hand sloppily.

“Go away,” he moaned as he tried to move into a more comfortable position.

“Are you a contortionist?” Chaeyeon teased, shaking Yena again.

“A what?” he mumbled back, slapping Chaeyeon’s hand again.

“A person that can get into very strange positions, like you.”

“I don’t even remember how I got here,” Chaeyeon received as a response.

“You drank that much?”

“No, my head just hurts and I feel a little dizzy.”

“Right, just that,” Chaeyeon mocked. “So you can’t stand up?”

“I can’t even open my eyes without feeling I’m about to die.”

“You don’t have a good alcohol tolerance, do you?”

“And you do, Mister Tough Guy?”

“No, that’s why I didn’t drink myself stupid,” the younger man chastised lightly.

“It’s the greatest amount of food I’ve seen at once,” Yena said, groaning as he twitched slightly. “Don’t tell me you’ve seen that much abundance, or in the future you have huge feasts everyday?”

“No, we don’t. But I’m just not that impressed, though some dishes were definitely delicious,” Chaeyeon answered pensively.

“Right, and the company was to die for,” Yena sighed.

“You talking about the princesses?” Chaeyeon inquired, his brows arching in surprise.

“Hah, of course not,” Yena slurred. “As soon as you left, they lost interest. Better for me, I could go look out for Juri.”

“And? Did she even talk to you?” If she did, it would definitely surprise Chaeyeon.

“No, but it was nice to hear her speaking to other people.” Chaeyeon face palmed, deciding to stand up and look for a cup of water. Perhaps his teacher had left something of use for a hangover.

“You are an idiot.”

“No bigger idiot than you, dear Chaeyeon,” Yena shot back. “Did you even notice how Princess Sakura looked at you?”

“The Princess?” What did Princess Sakura had to do with this?

“Yes, the Cherry Blossom. She looked at you as if you were Buddha himself.” Chaeyeon didn’t quite listen to Yena’s words, trying to get him to sit up, his back lying on the adjacent wall. Yena groaned.

“No, stop!”

“You can’t stay here lying all day.”

“No, but I can sure try.”

“Come one, sit. I promise I’ll help you feel better.”

“You promise?” And at Chaeyeon’s affirmation, he sighed. “Alright, help me out.”

Now with Yena cooperating, the older man was able to sit up, receiving Chaeyeon’s bowl of water.

“But I’m serious, Chaeyeon,” Yena said after he barely escaped choking himself with a huge gulp of water. “She looked at you like... like... I don’t even know if I should even imply it.”

“You really drank too much,” Chaeyeon exclaimed shaking his head slightly. “Princess Sakura dislikes me. She barely stands my presence and only because Princess Rino is the one to approach me.”

“You have spoken with them often? Why didn’t you tell me?” Yena turned to look at him. Well, not exactly look, as his eyes were swollen and half-lidded. He resembled a duck, specially with the huge pout he was sporting.

“It didn’t seem like something important.”

“It is! You said it yourself! Not even Juri will give me the time of the day, so why would a Princess pay this much attention to you?”

“Maybe they are curious about the foreigners...”

“If they were curious about the foreigners, they would have naturally taken interest in me as well.”

“Then I don’t know,” Chaeyeon answered, taking the bowl in his hands and placing it next to Yena. “Whatever interest they have, it’s not what you are implying, much less if it’s Sakura you are talking about.”

“Fine, don’t believe me, then. Idiot Chaeyeon. Dense Chaeyeon,” Yena said as he closed his eyes again.

“You make it hard for me to believe you,” Chaeyeon answered, but then bit his tongue. It was the wrong choice of words, but Yena didn’t comment on it.

“A-Anyways, there is a good remedy for hangovers. I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare you some.”

“Is it a remedy? Really?”

“Yes, it is. What else do you think I am going to do with you but help you get better.”

“I don’t know. Maybe with your future knowledge you could prepare something that would make my hangover worse.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Chaeyeon rolled his eyes fondly, despite his words. “I promised I would help you with your hangover and there is nothing here except water. Wait for me, alright?”

“Yesssss.” And with that, Chaeyeon stood up, slapping his thighs slightly.

It was a travesty to find the kitchen, as he had never even thought about the kitchen’s location until that day, and finding people who were awake at that hour was difficult. However, he managed to get to the kitchen, where one of the monks was already cooking rice and porridge.

“Good morning,” Chaeyeon greeted, receiving a greet in return. “Would it be fine if I prepared something?”

“What do you want to do?” The monk eyed him warily.

“Just some juice that would help my friend with his hangover.” The monk stared at him for a few moments, but nodded, motioning for him to do what he needed. Chaeyeon thanked him, quickly working on the juice.

It took a while, especially with mincing the ingredients. He hadn’t even thought about the fact that he had no blender in this time, so he could only rely on his scarce strength to do it. His arms would probably end up sore after this.

After finally finishing, he bowed to the monk, rushing to see Yena again, hoping he hadn’t passed out again. He was stopped by another monk, who quietly motioned for him to follow. Chaeyeon nodded, confused and critical about this event.

“What is it?” Chaeyeon asked a few steps away from the kitchen.

“The Prince demands your presence in his chamber.”

“Now?” Chaeyeon asked, holding the bowl tighter.

“Yes, right now.” He nodded, giving a deep breath.

“Do you know my friend?” The man nodded. “Excellent, could you bring this to him? Tell him I was accosted by the flower so I couldn’t go.” The man looked a little bewildered at his petition, but agreed to do. Chaeyeon thanked him and went on his way, to the Prince’s chamber.

What was what the prince wanted with him? Didn’t he expect everyone to be nursing a huge hangover? Wouldn’t the prince himself be nursing a hangover? Did he now know about his interactions with the Princesses and wanted to threaten him? Was he about to throw them out of the temple? Did he know the teacher had given him the writings? His mind was dizzying itself with these possibilities, and, as much as he wanted to shake those thoughts away, he couldn’t help but feel there was something out of place.

There was a monk waiting for him outside of the Prince’s chamber, pacing in front of the door. When Chaeyeon was close enough, he greeted the monk, bowing to him. The monk greeted back, and opened the door, sending him a “good luck” his way, which made Chaeyeon even more anxious.

“Excuse me, Your Grace?” he presented himself, trying to placate the Prince as much as he could.

“Enter,” the voice was calm, but Chaeyeon thought it was the calm before the storm. Walking slowly towards the Prince, he bowed before he sat a few steps before the Prince.

“Why do you think you’re here?”

“Because... you’re about to tell me what you are going to do with us,” Chaeyeon tried to answer as confidently as he could, but his voice wavered, nevertheless, as the Prince’s intense gaze bore holes on his face.

“Is that so? Is that what you think?”

“Y-yes, Your Grace.”

“How interesting,” the Prince interjected. “You know what else is interesting? The fact that you could speak japanese when you are JUST a peasant. The fact that you know about dance when you are a simple peasant. The fact that you have become more than a mere acquaintance of the Royal Princesses.” The voice got harsher with every word spoken.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace! Please, forgive us!” Chaeyeon said, bowing to the ground.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Chaeyeon didn’t know what to say, as he, for the first time, hadn’t lied about his origin. If he tried reaffirming that he was telling the truth, he would probably not see another day, as the Prince already disbelieved his words. However, telling the complete truth was not an option.

“I assure you, Your Grace, I have no ulterior motives to be here. I just wanted to make the delivery.”

“You aren’t answering all my questions boy, so look at me like a man and answer.” His voice was harsh, booming to the point it would be easy to be heard outside the room. Chaeyeon flinched before he sat again.

“I am Lee Chaeyeon, Your Grace. I...” he hesitated. “I had a normal family once. My parents and my sisters were together, and it was in that time that I was taught dance and Japanese. However, my mother fell ill, and died as a result. My father drowned himself in debt, so I had to resort to work in shady dealings, until know. I am just trying to go back to them, to help my family so there is no more debt.” The Prince observed him for a moment.

“So you are a noble,” the Prince said pensively.

“I am not a noble, Your Grace. I am just a courier, trying to make a living,” Chaeyeon said, hoping that his stretching of the truth would be convincing enough for the Prince.

“You still have noble blood in your veins, lad, so you are a noble still,” the Prince answered, his voice more serene. “But why are you hiding it? Why did you hide it until now?”

“What good would it make to say that? I’d rather not let people now how low I have fallen.” The Prince nodded, understanding the pride behind the statement.

“And? Why are you speaking to the Princesses? Why are you close to them?”

“I am not, Your Grace. Princess Rino found me once crying, and she pitied me.”

“Why were you crying?” the Prince asked, his features betraying amusement, which made Chaeyeon inwardly sigh in relief.

“I had a fight with my friend that day, so the Princess pitied me, and tried comforting me. After that, I am not sure why she called upon me.”

“You are sure you don’t know?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Very well. Given the circumstances, I have come to a decision. I understand your situation, and I can see you are not an unkind fellow, as I haven’t received complaints about you or your friend from Tachibana. However, the rest of the monks do doubt about you, and feel that you have overstayed your welcome.” Chaeyeon nodded, not knowing if he was in the position to ask about the delivery.

“So we are leaving to Silla?” Chaeyeon asked.

“Not quite,” the Prince answered, intertwining his hands in front of his lap. “We hosted you and your friend, helped you both to reach convalescence, fed you, and, in the case of your friend, taught him Japanese. It’s fair for you to do a favor for us, don’t you think?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Excellent,” the Prince smiled, although his smile wasn’t kind. “There is another temple, which is mainly close to the Fujiwara family. I want you to take this message.” He handed a writing to Chaeyeon, who took it from his hands. “To that temple. You and your friend managed to arrive and make an uneventful journey there. You don’t know Japanese either, so you will either need a translator or you won’t be able to talk to them at all. When they let you go, come back, and tell me what you have heard.” The younger man nodded.

“Ah, and one last thing. There is a something I wish for you to do. Don’t tell anyone, not even your friend. There is a special keepsake that Princess Rino has in her belongings. It is a green satin belt. Her room is in the left wing of the temple. The Princess takes a stroll after her midday meal, and I trust you will be able to retrieve such thing without being seen. When you arrive to the temple, you will sneak the belt into Fumiko’s belongings. You will know who she is right away.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” he answered, already panicking about his mission, but knowing he wasn’t in any position to refuse.

“Good, you are dismissed, then.”

Chaeyeon left the room dizzy, his mind going through his conversation with the Prince. He hadn’t the slightest idea where he was going until he ended in front of Yena’s door. He stood there for a while, trying to come to a decision of what to do.

Since he had given the writings to the Prince, that monster hadn’t spoken to him at all, which made it seem that he would make his promise of just giving him the hint of coming to Japan true. Because of this, he had no idea what was the correct course of action. What if, by agreeing to the Prince’s request (read: order), he was actually doing the opposite of what the monster wanted him to do? And if doing the Prince’s biding was actually what the monster wanted him to do, what next? Maybe he should just run away with the writings. But then, what? The teacher had mentioned some rocks... Shinfu...?

Shaking those thoughts for a moment, he opened the door to Yena’s room, where the older man was still lying against the wall, but looked more awake and less hungover.

“Hey! What was the idea of telling a monk to- Wow, you look as if you have seen a ghost.”

“It probably would have been better,” Chaeyeon muttered before settling beside Yena.

“What, what, what happened?” Yena asked as he gave another sip to the juice the younger man had made for him.

“The Prince,” Chaeyeon answered simplistically.

“The Prince? What did he want with you?” Yena’s eyes comically widened. “Wait, he wants to kill us, doesn’t he? We are as good as dead?”

“No,” Chaeyeon denied. “None of that. But the Prince gave me a new mission.”

“Gave you or gave us?”

“Us, if you want to come with me.”

“Shoot.”

“You want to come with me?” Chaeyeon was surprised, as Yena hadn’t refuted him before when he implied that they would part ways.

“Of course, you’re the brother from the future I’ve never had. If you are going, I am going, too.”

“Thank you,” Chaeyeon exclaimed, touched, smiling at the older man. “Well, the Prince wants us to go to another temple, and give them a scroll he gave me. We have to lie to them and have them believe that we don’t know Japanese and that basically we never met him, or the monks in this temple. When they believe we don’t know Japanese, we spy on them and come back and tell the Prince.” Yena’s eyes bugged.

“Like an undercover mission?”

“I guess.”

“Woah, now we are spies?”

“Why are you so happy? Your leg isn’t even completely healed,” the younger man grumbled. Yena seemed more enthused about the whole thing than Chaeyeon was.

“Because this is an adventure! We are going as spies to the enemy camp and get some information on them!”

“It’s dangerous!” the younger man exclaimed.

“Chaeyeon, you really have no sense of adventure. Plus, we came here, and you knew that we could die in this.”

“But this is different. If they discover us, we’re dead.”

“So that’s why we are going to be the worst Japanese speakers ever.” Chaeyeon huffed, but he smiled again fondly.

“You make it sound more simple than it is.”

“It’s one of my talents,” Yena shrugged slightly, eyeing the empty juice bowl. “So, when are we leaving?”

“At most, the day after tomorrow.”

“I’ll be sure to not have a splitting headache by then.”

Chaeyeon snorted.

\--

Although they had a small time frame to leave, Chaeyeon decided to wait until the next day to retrieve Rino’s belt. It had been a terrible idea, as he had had an awful night with zero to no sleep, oscillating between feeling scared at the prospect of being discovered, feeling guilty at doing this to someone who had cared for him, and thinking if it was better to just run away with the writings and figure out everything on his own.

When it was finally close to midday, he skulked near Rino’s room, which was the room where they’d had the afternoon tea a while ago. Hiding behind a tree, he waited with his eyes closed, prepared to use the excuse of being asleep if someone found him.

He heard the sound of talk, so he turned his head to see, just in time, that Rino was already leaving for her stroll, her maids trailing behind her, speaking among each other.

“That is my chance,” Chaeyeon unconsciously whispered, biding his time. When he was sure the Princess was far enough, he walked calmly towards the room, hoping that no one would be coming this way.

Slowly opening the sliding door, he entered cautiously, tip toeing as he went. He was probably excessively panicking, but would rather have the piece of mind that no one would be alerted to check before he came out of the room.

This room was also rather spacious, albeit sober in its decoration, with a few paintings hung around the walls, and some furniture. In the middle of it was a bed, which looked far more comfortable than it had any business looking. Chaeyeon decided to start looking there.

Crouching to look under the bed, he found himself relieved at the sight of a small chest which probably had Rino’s belongings. It was a little heavier than Chaeyeon envisioned, but tried pulling it using all the strength he had, anyways.

He huffed as he pulled, barely moving it from its place. How the hell had the Princess’ handlers managed to get this under the bed?

“Good afternoon,” a voice said, making Chaeyeon hit his head with the bed. Scrambling to get out from under the bed, he rushed to meet the eyes of an amused Rino.

“P-Princess. Good afternoon,” he said, mentally slapping himself for his disingenuous response.

“May I know what is your business here?” Her voice, as always, had a tint of of mirth. “Let me guess. You were lost and were trying to look for an exit.”

“No, Princess,” Chaeyeon shook his head, feeling shamed, despite Rino’s carefree front.

“Then you were looking for food?”

“No, Princess.”

“Then...” her eyes acquired a more serious glint. “My brother sent you here?” Chaeyeon blinked, trying to not convey the surprise he felt at her correct guess (though guessing by Rino’s expression, it probably wasn’t a guess).

“Yes, Princess.”

“What exactly did he tell you? Spare no detail, or I’ll make sure everyone knows you were in my chamber.”

“The Prince told me that I had to make him a favor because he took care of me and Yena, so he told me I have to take some writings to a temple with the... Fujiwara? Yes, and he told me I had to look for the satin belt in your belongings, so that when I arrived at that temple, I put in Fumiko’s belongings,” Chaeyeon said without taking a breath. “Princess, I am so sorry.” Rino looked pensively at Chaeyeon.

“No, I know it’s not your fault. You’re surrounded by strangers in a foreign land. You want to survive, and, as you have told me, you want to see your family again.”

“I could have declined.” Rino smiled.

“You could have declined, and you would have been headless by the end of the day. I know my brother.” Rino held a finger on her lips. “So that’s his plan...”

“If you’ll have me, I’ll do whatever you need,” Chaeyeon said, bowing.

“And that is what I’m counting on.” Rino answered, grabbing Chaeyeon’s shoulder. “Chaeyeon, you cannot execute my brother’s plan.”

“Yes.”

“What I want you to do is to go to the Fujiwara and tell them everything you have told me. Spare no detail. Don’t tell the Prince that you found me. Take my belt and this pin,” she ordered, taking a pin from her hair and a belt from her clothes.”

“The belt...” Chaeyeon gaped.

“Is the one you were looking for,” Rino ended his thought. “Yes, I might have or have not heard about the Prince’s plan beforehand and I might have or have not decided to take this opportunity to enlist your help with this.”

“If you already knew, why did you ask me about it?”

“Because I wanted to see if you would go so far as to lie. Take both of those things and tell them I sent you. With the pin, they’ll know it’s definitely me.”

“Yes, Princess,” Chaeyeon acquiesced, more willing to look at Rino now that she looked more serene, though Chaeyeon was under no illusion that she was as calm as she looked. At this point in time, it was obvious for him that this was related to politics, and he, unfortunately, would have to be a pawn in this game.

“Also, I would like for you to take Princess Sakura with you.”

What.

“Excuse me?” Chaeyeon asked, flabbergasted at the petition.

“Take my sister with you.”

“In a carriage or?”

“Of course. Do you expect her to hide away like you do?”

“No, Princess.”

“You are going to leave first and will wait in the city of Gentai for the carriage I will send Princess Sakura in.” Rino turned around, giving her back to Chaeyeon.

“Yes, Princess.”

“Good,” she turned again, smiling slightly. “It’s time for you to go.” Chaeyeon nodded. “I have the feeling this is the last time we’ll see each other, so I hope you live healthily and that you find your sisters.”

“Thank you, Princess. I hope you also live a healthy, lengthy life.”

“It was nice meeting you, Lee Chaeyeon.”

“Likewise, Princess.”

\--

“Yena, we need to leave now,” Chaeyeon ordered as he slammed the door open. Yena was startled, as he was also taking his meal for the midday.

“What? But I’m eating,” he said with his mouth half-filled with rice.

“It’s an emergency. It’s now or never.” Yena jumped at that.

“The Prince wants our heads?” he said after swallowing the bolus.

“No, but he’ll want them if he discovers us.”

“What? Chaeyeon, what did you do?”

“Okay, I’ll tell you on the way. For now, it’s time to run.” Yena seemed to consider the younger man’s words for a moment, but then nodded, jumping on his feet.

“Be careful with your leg!”

“You said we have to run, so forgive me if I don’t choose to crawl.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Chaeyeon chastised. “Let’s go then.”

Yena grabbed a bag he had lying around, opening the drawers of his furniture to take clothes. Chaeyeon arched his eyebrow.

“What? They aren’t even giving us food for our travels.”

“It’s not that far.”

“We are running away anyways.”

“No, we are...” Chaeyeon seemed to think about it for a moment. “You know what, take whatever. It’s not like we are coming back.”

“I like this Chaeyeon! Would I be able to see an adventurous Tough Guy later?”

“Tch,” Chaeyeon clicked his tongue, but smiled nonetheless, despite the urgency of their task.

“Well, let’s go.” Rushing towards the door, Chaeyeon stopped for a moment.

“Wait, but we have to be conspicuous.” Yena gave him a look.

“So, through the woods?”

“Yes, we have a map, anyways,” Chaeyeon answered, getting a scroll from his clothes.

“Do you even know how to use it?”

“Yes, the Prince told me where we stand.”

“Oh no, the Prince will want our heads.”

“We won’t be here anymore if he does. Let’s go.” Now walking normally, they tried blending with the background. When they were finally in the woods, Yena asked.

“Hey, explain, then. What happened?”

“Well, you remember the task the Prince gave us?”

“Take some scroll to another place.”

“Right, but he had also given me a secret task. I was planning on telling you on the way to that place, just so you know.” Yena nodded, albeit skeptically. “He also wanted me to steal Princess Rino’s belt, to hide it among the belongings of some monk.” Yena’s eyes widened.

“And? You stole it?”

“Tried to,” Chaeyeon scratched his nape, still feeling apologetic towards the Princess. “She came back before expected, and discovered me there.”

“And she wants your head?”

“No one wants my head,” Chaeyeon answered, exasperated, making Yena sighed audibly in relief.

“So?”

“So, she basically told me to go to that same temple and tell them the Prince’s plans, and tell them that I was sent by the Princess.”

“So, we are now double-crossing spies,” Yena exclaimed, looking at Chaeyeon in wonder.

“I guess so.” Chaeyeon shrugged.

“And what do you think this is for?” Yena asked as they resumed their trek.

“I don’t know. Probably something related to matters of the Palace and what not.”

“Like what? Why would the Prince want you to steal something of his sister?”

“You do know royals don’t necessarily get along with each other, right?” Chaeyeon asked skeptically.

“I know that, but to the point to steal something from her?”

“Why do you find it unbelievable? Haven’t there been many kings in Silla in the last few years?”

“Yes, but he’s a monk! He is supposed to be... pacific or something.”

“Well, he seems to have other plans, anyways,” Chaeyeon answered, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of not knowing the whole background of what they were doing.

“Well, the Princess wouldn’t want to kill you, anyways,” Yena said, speeding up.

“What do you mean?” Chaeyeon asked wryly, rushing to be at Yena’s pace.

“She probably liked you so much, she wouldn’t let your head roll.”

“The things rolling are my eyes,” Chaeyeon answered, sighing. “I told you, she isn’t interested in me in that way.

“Uh huh. Sure she isn’t. If I was her, and I wasn’t interested in you, I would have gotten your head as soon as I had discovered you in my room. What if you are a pervert?”

“I am not a pervert!” the younger man defended himself hotly.

“Hah, now that I think of it, what if the Prince didn’t give you that order, and you just wanted to take something to remind you of her during the trip?” Yena continued, as if he wasn’t listening to Chaeyeon’s defense.

“I did not!” Chaeyeon insisted.

“Chaeyeon the Tough Guy is now a pervert,” Yena laughed.

“I am not!” Chaeyeon said again, crossing his arms.

“Are you...? Is Lee Chaeyeon sulking?”

“I am not,” he declared more weakly.

“You are!” Yena said with glee. “Don’t worry, Chaeyeon-ie. I know you’re too much a chicken to do that on your own initiative.”

“I’ll let you know I am not a coward!”

“You aren’t,” Yena acquiesced. “When it’s something related to you getting back home, but talking about a lover... Well...”

“I can’t even like girls,” Chaeyeon retorted.

“You can’t? Or you don’t?” The younger man sputtered helplessly, not expecting Yena to say that.

“I-I don’t,” Chaeyeon answered finally.

“Sure you don’t,” Yena said, turning his head away from Chaeyeon, who was confused at the former’s behavior. He was the one that started teasing him, didn’t him?

“Well, whatever the case, she didn’t tell you anything else?” the older man asked after a moment.

“Ah, right. She wanted us to escort Princess Sakura to that same temple.”

“What?” Yena looked as if the younger man had hit him on the head. “Why?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“And? Why isn’t she here with us?”

“I think it’s because they don’t want the Prince to know that we are going there together, so we’ll be waiting for her for a few days in a town called Gentai.”

“Woah,” Yena exclaimed. “So, what now?”

“So, we reach that town and wait there until the Princess reaches us.”

“Well, I can’t say I am not thankful for more time to rest, even when I was already bored out of my mind.”

“I get you. When we first got there, I didn’t know what to do with myself after a few days.”

“And, what did you do?” Yena asked, curious.

“Taking long walks through the temple, trying to study more Japanese.”

“I could only study Japanese at the time, and right now I’m already sick of it.”

“It’s a shame we are going to be here for more time.”

“Nah, I’m okay with speaking Japanese. Just... studying the writing...” he made a cross with his arms.

“I get it,” Chaeyeon laughed.

“You do?” Yena asked. “I thought you already knew Japanese.”

“I know how to speak Japanese, but not how to write properly.”

“I didn’t know that,” Yena exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes, well.” Chaeyeon shrugged again.

“Where is this city?” the older man asked, turning to look at their feet.

“It’s to the west to the temple,” the younger man answered as he took out a scroll. “In this map, I was told that we were here.” He pointed to a place in the map, making Yena turn to look at him. “And the city where we will be waiting for Sakura is here, and the temple we are going to is over here.”

“It seems far,” Yena interjected.

“It is, a bit.”

“And, is it safe?”

“That, I don’t know.” Chaeyeon bit the inside of his cheek. “I think it is. The Princess wouldn’t be coming here otherwise.”

“Hope so.”

Finishing their conversation for the time, they continued the travel towards Gentai.


	10. Chapter 10

“Oh, boy. I can’t believe we finally found that damned city,” Yena cursed as he stretched his left arm.

“I know. You don’t have to harp on my scouting abilities,” Chaeyeon barked, feeling irritated at Yena’s jabs at him throughout the way, as he had made them take a longer trek, which made them get lost for a few days, having to ask for directions for the city. By the time they arrived to the city, they were tired and irked, wishing nothing more than a bed to lay on.

No one said anything, walking towards the entrance. Both men could see people in the distance.

“Hello, is there anything you need?” a man got close to them as soon as they crossed the entrance. Chaeyeon turned to look at Yena, who was already looking at him.

“Uh, we are looking for a place to stay?” Chaeyeon uttered tiredly.

“The inn is at the center of the city, but I recommend you go to a... less popular inn, which is on the left corner of the town,” the man advised.

“Thank you. I think we’ll needed to go to the center,” Chaeyeon answered, blinking.

“Stay in the less popular inn. It is in your best interests,” the man insisted, making alarm bells sound in Chaeyeon’s head.

“Alright, thank you,” Chaeyeon answered more soberly, walking head on.

“He was strange,” Yena said after they left the man far behind.

“He was,” Chaeyeon agreed. “And I don’t know if that means we should actually stay on that inn or stay in the inn at the center of town.”

“We can investigate,” the older man suggested. “We can see what’s going on, and if there is something strange about it, we can always go to the one in the center.”

“I guess,” Chaeyeon acquiesced, agreeing with Yena’s idea. “I wouldn’t mind eating something, first.”

“Me neither. My stomach has been rumbling for days already.” Yena patted his belly.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon said harshly.

“Woah, woah. Calm down. I’m just talking about my belly,” Yena said, seeing Chaeyeon starting to fume. “We have arrived. We are good. We are about to eat.”

“I know,” Chaeyeon sighed. “I am sorry. It’s just... I feel bad for making us lose time.”

“It’s alright. It’s an unknown place. I could have gotten us lost, too, if I was in your place.” The younger man sighed again, still tense.

“Let’s eat, then. I’m dying for good food.”

“That makes both of us,” Yena answered, trying to cheer Chaeyeon up, even though he also seemed to be tired.

In comparison to Geumsong, the town of Gentai was smaller, it’s houses far less numerous, and there didn’t seem to be a great trading happening around. Still, that didn’t stop both men from admiring their surroundings, well, Yena more than Chaeyeon, who was still irked.

“Look, there are girls there!” Yena exclaimed, greeting some women from afar.

“Didn’t you like Juri?” Chaeyeon grumbled.

“Eh, I’m not sure if I’ll see her again,” the older man shrugged. “Don’t be jealous, Chaeyeon-ie. You’ll find your girl soon enough.”

“Stop saying non-sense,” the younger man said, crossing his arms.

“No, no, but really. I’m curious.” Chaeyeon huffed. “What would you do if you suddenly fell in love with a girl?”

“Nothing. It won’t happen,” Chaeyeon answered with finality.

“But what if it happened? Indulge me a bit.”

“Well, nothing, again. I’m not here to fall in love.”

“You wouldn’t even consider staying if that happened?” Chaeyeon bit his tongue, starting to understand Yena’s line of questioning. Not wanting to appear as if he didn’t appreciate his friend’s company, he tried being conciliatory.

“It would be difficult, because I truly want to return to my family. But, if possible, I’d try to be together.” Yena hummed at the answer.

“Well, then, let’s hope you don’t fall in love.”

“What about you?” Chaeyeon asked, trying to change the subject, not wanting Yena to remember that he was to leave, sooner rather than later. “Are you planning on falling in love, for real?”

“I have already fallen in love,” Yena answered, quite assertively.

“Really?” Chaeyeon asked curiously. “Who was she? Where did you meet her?”

“It was just a girl I met while travelling,” Yena explained, though, instead of the relaxed or blissful stance Chaeyeon expected, he had a tense air about him. “I met her in weird circumstances. We spent little time together, but in the little that we knew each other, I fell for her.”

“You haven’t been able to see her again?” Chaeyeon questioned, much more subdued. Yena just shrugged, his expression resigned at his situation, which made the younger man feel bad about asking about it.

“And what about Juri? What about her was attractive to you?” Chaeyeon tried changing the topic, again.

“I don’t know. There is just something so beautiful about her. At least, to me, she doesn’t seem to be like... I’m sorry for your Princesses, but Juri doesn’t seem as stuck up as them.”

“Why? In what way?” Chaeyeon asked, feeling weirdly protective about Princess Rino.

“Well, as you know, I never spoke to her, but there was this time where I found her, late at night on the lake.”

“It is becoming a routine for you to find girls bathing,” Chaeyeon remarked dryly, hoping to get back at Yena for his teasing.

“N-no. It’s not like that,” Yena blushed. “She was just there, looking at the lake.”

“Sure,” Chaeyeon interrupted, amused at the older man’s reaction.

“Chaeyeon,” Yena whined slightly. “She was there, standing there, looking at the lake!”

“Who is sulking now?” Chaeyeon declared, teasing good-naturedly. “Okay, okay. Do continue.”

“So, I saw her there. I tried leaving, but she managed to realize I was there. She didn’t say anything, but she just... smiled at me,” Yena continued explaining. “And her smile was... I don’t know. So open, like she was waiting for me to talk first.”

“And you didn’t,” Chaeyeon finished.

“No, I just smiled back.”

“You are hopeless,” Chaeyeon shook his head.

“And what about you?” Yena accused.

“I haven’t fallen in love yet,” Chaeyeon shot back.

“Never?” Yena asked in incredulity. “With no one? Ever?”

“No, I never really thought about it. I already told you,” Chaeyeon answered more defensively, which seemed to happen more these when referring to Princess Rino, though Chaeyeon didn’t want to think about it. “Wait, but hadn’t you told me Juri didn’t give you the time of the day?” Yena looked at Chaeyeon, gobsmacked.

“I-you-You remembered it?”

“Of course I do!” Chaeyeon exclaimed. “My memory isn’t that horrible.”

“Whoops?” Yena shrugged, smiling like a kid caught stealing a cookie from the jar.

“Why did you tell me that?”

“I don’t know.”

“You do know, but it’s fine. I guess you have the liberty to say whatever to me. I owe you.”

“No! I don’t you want you to treat this like a game of continually owing one another!” Yena sighed. “I just... I said that Juri didn’t care about me because... I wanted to see how would you react.”

“What? Why?” Chaeyeon asked, surprised at Yena’s statement. “Why was my reaction important to you?”

“Ah, well... I wanted to see if you would, you know, advise for me to go after her despite our differences or if you would tell me that she was stuck up.”

“And I advised you to not get close to her,” Chaeyeon murmured, feeling bad about it.

“You were probably right,” Yena hurried to console Chaeyeon, although he himself now looked... relieved? “It’s fine. I don’t mind the differences. Whatever the case, we are still travelling, aren’t we? I wouldn’t even be able to marry anyone.”

“You were already thinking about marriage?” Chaeyeon asked Yena, raising his head slightly.

“No-I-No!” Yena moved his hands frantically. “No, not at all. What I meant was... Oh, we are already at the center. Don’t you already want to look for a place to eat first?”

Chaeyeon eyed him critically, feeling more suspicious of Yena’s behavior, but decided to shrug it off, not wanting to feel more guilt for embarking his friend on this journey.

“Alright. Let’s look, then.”

It didn’t take them long, as the only place to eat was easy to see since there was a sign with a bowl carved on it. They entered the place, which, to their surprise, was filled with people. Sitting on an empty table, a person came to quickly receive them.

“Welcome, what would you like to eat?” a petite woman asked.

“Ah, what could we eat...” Chaeyeon trailed off.

The woman listed their most popular options, which made Chaeyeon and Yena ask for some noodles.

“So, I screwed your chances with Juri.”

“No, you didn’t ‘screw’, whatever that is,” Yena answered, looking at their surroundings. “I just didn’t feel like talking to her. The end.”

“But you said...”

“I know, I know. But it was all me, alright? Maybe if you had told me to go after her, I would’ve ignored you regardless.”

“Wow, that’s a bigger consolation,” Chaeyeon deadpanned.

“You know what I mean, Chaeyeon-ah,” Yena tried waving it off casually. Chaeyeon acquiesced, letting the matter go, knowing that Yena would insist on it not being his fault, but it still made him feel guilty nonetheless, though, more than anything, because of the continuous looming thought that one day he would leave him behind.

He tried shaking the thought off, for the hundredth time, and, just like Yena, started looked around. Although not as big a place as Geumsong, the restaurant had more luxurious decoration, which gave it, paradoxically, a more sophisticated, albeit homey, feeling. The patrons inside were mostly men, who probably were having lunch, as they would return to work soon enough. It made him think, what would have happened if she had lived in this time?

“When do you think the Princess will arrive?” the older man asked, shaking Chaeyeon out of her useless thoughts.

“I don’t know. Probably sooner than we expected, you know, with us getting lost and all.” Yena looked like he wanted to tease Chaeyeon, but wisely said nothing about it.

After that question, both men were submerged in a comfortable silence, with Yena inspecting everywhere while Chaeyeon just looked at his hands, marveling at how they looked rougher, with few blisters on his palms. They weren’t as painful as when he first had travelled to Geumsong, always acutely aware of them. Now, they just were par the course of the journey he had undergone thus far.

The food arrived soon after, and both men thanked the waitress, who bowed slightly and went on her way. Their stomachs rumbling at the simple smell, they thought they had never eaten anything tastier than this as they shoved mouthfuls of food, etiquette learned at the temple be damned.

However, they had forgotten that they needed to pay for the food, so when it came the time, they had to scavenge among their few belongings for coins to pay with, as they hadn’t taken many with them, only having had the thought of the inn payment in mind.

Shouting a thanks airily, they left the restaurant, their bellies full, and their heads clearer than a few moments earlier.

“So, it’s time?”

“Right, it is time.” Chaeyeon cleared his throat, standing straighter at the thought of what they still had to do. “We have to go there, right?”

“I mean, we can always ignore that man and stay in that other inn.”

“But what if it’s important?” Chaeyeon reasoned, although he also felt wary.

“But what if it’s a strange operation where the Prince already knows we are spies and he wants our head?”

“That is impossible.” The younger man shook his head, although Yena’s words did worry him.

“Is it?” Yena challenged.

“We can just be careful, stealthily investigate, and if there’s a sign that there is something wrong, then we just flee. Come one, what happened to adventurous Yena?”

“Is trying to have one tough guy be sure of his decision.”

“So you are alright with it?”

“I am,” Yena reassured. “But if you feel like not going, we can do that, too.”

“No, no. I think there is something important there,” Chaeyeon said, but didn’t elaborate further. How could he, when the invitation to that strange inn had made him think about that monster? He hadn’t talked to him ever since that horrible dream. But he had to. He couldn’t leave Chaeyeon stranded in this place forever. There had to be more clues that, Chaeyeon thought, were at that elusive inn.

Or it was a trap of some sort.

“Let’s go, then.” But his desire to return was greater, and, in moments like this, he had to be brave and a little foolish.

“Right behind you, tough guy,” Yena teased.

As far as they knew, the inn was at the far left corner of the town, at the outskirts of it. Although the didn’t have precise directions, finding it didn’t seem like a difficult task. The inn turned out to be a few more minutes far from the town.

“So, what is the plan?” Yena asked as they walking came to halt.

“I don’t know. I guess it would be better to be stealthy, and try not to arouse anyone’s attention.” The older man nodded, agreeing with said plan, although it was obvious to both about how lacking it was. They tip-toed closer to the inn entrance, where they paused, looking at each other for a sign on what to do. Nodding at Yena, they slowly opened the door, walking slowly with their bodies hunched.

There didn’t seem to be anyone at the main place. However, the place was far from deserted, as evidenced by the clean tables that were next to a wooden drawer.

“What do we do?” Yena whispered, turning slightly to look at the younger man.

“Let’s continue exploring,” Chaeyeon answered, despite his own intuition.

They entered the hall, where rooms seemed to be. The hall was also deserted, not a single sound heard in it. They got closer to the first door, where Chaeyeon tried listening in, putting his ear close to said door.

No sound.

Chaeyeon gestured to the next door, and Yena nodded, copying what Chaeyeon had done. After a moment, he shook his head.

No sound.

“I’ll try and look further down the hall,” Yena whispered. Despite his own apprehension, Chaeyeon nodded, hoping that if there was danger, he would be able to help his friend.

Continuing to try and listen inside rooms, Chaeyeon got farther away from his partner, who was also concentrated on his task.

Finally, Chaeyeon heard a minimal sound behind one of the doors, which, to his more paranoid mind, seemed suspicious. Waving Yena over, the older man came quickly, standing next to Chaeyeon.

“We are going to open the door on the count of three.” Yena nodded.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

“Hah!” Yena yelled as the opened the door forcefully. The woman inside jumped out of her skin, but when she managed to see who were the ones that had barged in, she glared at them.

“You finally had the gall to appear here,” exclaimed an irate voice. Chaeyeon, who had blacked out for a moment, as the push had made him fall and hit his toe with some furniture, turned to look at the owner of the voice, a furious Sakura, who had her arms crossed and her nostrils flaring.

“Y-Your Grace,” Chaeyeon scrambled to stand up. “I thought you would arrive after a few days.”

“I did arrive a few days after you were supposed to be here,” Sakura chastised. “Imagine my surprise to find there was no one here.”

“We got a bit off the course,” Yena said off-handedly, hoping that the Princess would let the matter go.

“A bit off course, you say?” The Princess rubbed her temples.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. We have never gone through these lands,” Chaeyeon apologized, despite the underlying irritation he felt at her.

“Well, at least you are here. And, what happened? Why are you so... dirty?” The young woman scrunched her nose in disgust.

“We had several setbacks. First, we were supposed to go through the main road, but the main road dispersed a little, so we went-” Yena was interrupted.

“No, you know what, I don’t need to know. Please, take a bath, then come back. I cannot stand one more moment smelling this.”

“And where can we have this bath, if you would be so kind to tell us?” Chaeyeon asked condescendingly, not bothering to keep the emotions out of his voice.

“Juri will take you there.”

“Juri?” Yena looked like a puppy as he raised his head in excitement. As if on cue, a young woman entered the room, carrying a jug with what Chaeyeon presumed was water.

“Oh, you have finally arrived,” she said with relief as she placed the jug on some furniture.

“Juri, please take them to take a bath. They are stinking up the room.”

“If you would be so kind to follow me.” Juri smiled at both man, gesturing at the door. Both men followed Juri in silence.

“I am so relieved you have finally arrived. The Princess considered sending someone to look out for you.”

“Really?” Chaeyeon asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but thankfully, you arrived before that happened. Have you eaten?”

“Yes, we have. Thank you, Juri,” the younger man expressed, thankful for her kindness. “If it’s not too much to ask, how long have you been waiting for us?”

“A couple of days.”

“And what did you do in that time?” Chaeyeon asked again, embarrassed, knowing that Juri was trying to soften the blow.

“Not much. We were just waiting for you.” The young woman giggled. “The Princess was very worried about you.”

Their conversation ended there, and, to Chaeyeon’s surprise, Yena didn’t utter a single sound during their whole walk to the bath.

“Here we are,” Juri said. “Since we had already been warned of you arriving to town, we have prepared baths for you in advance. I’m sorry for the water. It’s cold already.”

“It’s fine. I am hot, anyway,” Chaeyeon answered.

“I’ll be close. So, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call for me.”

“Thank you, Juri.” The woman nodded, leaving both of them alone.

“Uhm, what do we do?” Yena asked, opening his mouth for the first time in a while.

“Well, we take a bath,” Chaeyeon answered simplistically. “I know why you are asking, but I trust you. As long as you don’t peek, I have no problem with it.” And it was true. After spending so much time with men, Chaeyeon had become used to them, not shying away as she used at the sight of a shirtless man. Deep inside, she knew it was a little strange, but there was no use for modesty, not after the months they had been travelling together.

“Uhm, I get it, but, ah...”

“Ah, you are uncomfortable,” Chaeyeon realized.

“A little? I mean, I know we have travelled for a long time together now, but I just... We have never bathed in the same place,” Yena explained bashfully.

“Well, if you want me to, I’ll wait for you to finish your bath first,” Chaeyeon proposed.

“That would be good.” Chaeyeon nodded, moving to where the separation of the bath and the rest of the room was.

“So why were you so quiet, just about now?” Chaeyeon questioned.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Yena feigned ignorance.

“Were you shy about Juri?” Chaeyeon teased.

“N-no, not at all,” Yena stammered. “It’s just that I had nothing to say.”

“You said you had never spoken to her. You had the opportunity now, and you had nothing to say?” Chaeyeon laughed briefly. “I don’t believe that. I mean, you said you didn’t even fall in love with her, basically saw her as a pretty distraction, but look at you now.”

“A-and you?” Yena shot back. “Weren’t you happy to see your Princess again?”

Chaeyeon scoffed. “Princess Sakura has nothing in common with Juri.”

“Ah, so you admit that there could be something if she was like Juri.”

“No,” Chaeyeon replied indignant. “I am saying that even if something like that could happen, it wouldn’t happen because Sakura is so unpleasant.”

“Well, she had the right to be angry,” Yena pointed out. “I mean, we were supposed to receive her, not the other way around.”

She sighed. “I know, but...”

“And she probably is worried about her own safety. If you were suddenly entrusted in the hands of two strangers, who got lost in a short trek, what would you feel if you had to travel a long distance with them?”

“I know.”

“Then? Why were you so angry?” Yena asked, truly disconcerted that Chaeyeon was so easily angered, so lacking of his usual thoughtful nature.

“I don’t know. There is something about her that makes me angry. Probably it’s because compared to her sister, since the first time we met, she was never polite. It angers me that she has only judged me, always treating me as if I didn’t deserve her sister’s kindness.”

“Well, she feels like that to you, but she can’t be that bad. I mean, she prepared us baths in advance.”

“That’s right.” Chaeyeon hadn’t even considered it.

“She said something about us stinking, but, if the water of the bath is cold now, that means she had actually prepared herself to receive us kindly.”

“You might have a point. Might,” Chaeyeon answered, still wary of the woman who had such a weird behavior.

“I am curious about one thing,” Chaeyeon asked after a moment. “Could you tell me, what were you doing before we met each other?”

Yena hummed, as if thinking for a moment. “Doing jobs here and there. Before my family, uh, yes, there wasn’t much work at the farms, so I usually just went to do odd jobs.”

“Like what?”

“Like, you know, works here and there...” Yena trailed off.

“Is it something... bad?”

“No, not at all!” Yena denied, though it felt off for Chaeyeon, somehow.

“It’s fine. Don’t be ashamed,” the younger man soothed.

“It’s just, it’s a little bit difficult to admit. I don’t know what you will think about me.”

“Yena, no matter what you do, you are still the brother I’ve never had.” Chaeyeon paused. “I don’t mind it if you sold your body.”

“What?” Yena exclaimed, scandalized. “I did not sell my body.”

“Why is it so bad for you to sell your body?” Chaeyeon asked, knowing that while that profession was so looked down upon here and in the present times, she had had several encounters with some while selling drugs. Sometimes unable to think straight without their fix, sometimes so put together, you wouldn’t even know about their job or their vices, Chaeyeon couldn’t help but pity them or like them respectively, as, most times, they were the customers that treated her the best. It dawned on her after a while working that they were just like her, trying to make ends meet.

“It should be obvious!” Yena said defensively.

“So, you didn’t sell your body?” Chaeyeon asked, somehow mortified at his huge reaction, but knowing he couldn’t change his mind about this topic. “Then, for you, there shouldn’t be anything worse than that.”

“I guess,” Yena answered hesitantly. “I did tell my family that I would go out and do odd jobs, but in reality... I would go out and... grab some stuff from the market and sell it somewhere else.”

“You were a thief?” Chaeyeon said, surprised.

“B-but I wasn’t alone,” Yena defended himself. “It was a group of us, who would steal to have something to bring home.”

“I am not judging you,” Chaeyeon thought about it for a moment. “Well, I am, but I can’t quite do it with a clean conscience.”

“I know it wasn’t fair, but I just couldn’t sit there doing nothing while my family broke their backs for so little.”

“I know, and I understand much more than you can imagine.” Chaeyeon sighed. “Back home, I also worked doing bad things, and I did it as well for my family.”

“What did you do?”

“I sell drugs.”

“Sell what?” Chaeyeon sighed, feeling embarrassed at the thought of elaborating.

“In the future, there are some things that can make you feel really good.”

“Like makgeolli.”

“More powerful than makgeolli,” Chaeyeon explained. “And far more dangerous. Some of these things, while they give you a great feeling, they may make you unable to live without them, if you take much of it, and, as time passes, and you need more of it, you end up dying.”

“That sounds horrible,” Yena exclaimed, though his voice was less judging and sadder.

“I know,” Chaeyeon said. “But I had to. In the present, my father got into debt with the wrong kind of people, but fled as soon as he could... He still sends money, but he doesn’t know that those bad people found me and my sisters, and forced me to work for them.” Chaeyeon’s voice trembled.

“And are you alright? Are your sisters alright?” Yena asked more urgently.

“We are, as long as I continue to work for them.”

“Well, that is horrible.”

“It sucks,” Chaeyeon exclaimed. They stayed like that for a while.

“I’m out,” Yena said as he came out of the bath side. “You can bathe now.” Chaeyeon nodded, shaken out of her reverie, walking towards the bath.

“By the way, I have a question,” Yena announced as Chaeyeon submerged into the cold water.

“Are there other words in your time like shoot or sucks or...?”

“Many,” Chaeyeon answered. “But when I knew where I was, I knew I had to clean my language.”

“Oh,” Yena sounded more lighthearted than a few moments ago. “For example, what does ‘sucks’ mean?”

“That it’s bad, like it... sucks... it’s not as bad as horrible but...” Chaeyeon felt a little dumb with his descriptions of things. “It’s bad.”

Yena hummed, although it was pretty obvious that he didn’t understand Chaeyeon’s explanation. Their conversation waned and Chaeyeon continued to wash himself carefully, her body singing in relief at being able to finally have a moment of rest.

When they finished, they left the room, and close to the room, Juri came quickly to fetch them.

“Are you ready?” the woman asked kindly, not waiting for their answering, just leading them back to the empty inn.

Back at the occupied room, the Princess was still sitting there, but now there were other two maids who were tending to her.

“You are back,” Sakura stated, clearing her throat slightly. “Come in.” Chaeyeon raised his eyebrows slightly, walking inside the room to sit. It was a bit cramped, but they said nothing of the arrangement.

“What is then our plan?” the Princess asked, looking at her hands.

“Well,” Yena paused, looking at Chaeyeon. “There is none.”

“There is...?!” the Princess started aggressively, but stopped suddenly, clearing her throat again. “Why is there no plan?”

“Because we didn’t think it was pertinent,” Chaeyeon answered. “Or is there something we haven’t been told?”

“What exactly did my sister tell you?”

“Well, aside from telling me about her plan to tell the Fujiwara about the Prince’s plans, as I assume you know.” The Princess nodded. “She just asked me, as a simple petition, to take you there.”

“Just that?” Sakura asked skeptically.

“Yes, just that, Your Grace.”

“Amazing,” the Princess grumbled. “Rino didn’t even bother explaining the situation, always leaving me the harder tasks.”

“Uhm...” Neither man knew how to answer.

“Look, she didn’t tell you this, probably to make you more agreeable to this, but the Prince, sooner rather than later will know about Rino’s plan,” the Princess explained more gravely. “And this won’t fare well if your only plan is to go through the main roads as if this was a trip.”

Yena raised his hand.

“Yes?” Sakura asked, her voice on edge.

“Isn’t the Prince your brother? Why would he want to harm you?” Sakura smiled wryly. She seemed as if she wanted to say something, but shut it, only speaking after a few seconds.

“While we are full siblings by blood, that doesn’t mean our relationship is a close one.” Chaeyeon nodded in understanding.

“Well, we might not have a plan,” Chaeyeon said, taking out a scroll from between his clothing. “But we can always think about one here.”

“We have no time,” Sakura argued. “Aside from that, I have no strategic prowess.”

“Neither do we,” Chaeyeon answered. “And I’d rather all of us make a plan so that we can reach a good agreement.” Sakura observed him for a moment, as if evaluating him.

“Alright. I’d like to know first, what do you suggest?”

“Well, we don’t know the Prince,” Chaeyeon explained, smoothing the scroll’s edges. “But you do. Have you any idea about how he... goes about things.” The Princess shook her head.

“No. Before this, I’d never had the necessity to know about this type of terrible things. Until now, all I knew was that he was looking for a better position within court by training his monks in military combat. Never did I imagine he would stoop so low.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon turned to look at said woman. “Have there ever been this type of military movements within court?”

“No. I know everyone looks for a better position within court, but we would never resort to such vulgar means such as violence.”

Chaeyeon hummed in thought.

“Well, you said we can’t go through the main roads, right?” Yena intervened. “So, what if we go through an alternate road?”

“Do you know alternative roads?” Sakura asked.

“No,” Chaeyeon denied, shaking his head. “As you know, we have only been in this country for a few months. However, we could make our own.” The young man paused, pinching his arm. “Would you be willing to part with your carriage?”

“What?” Sakura looked gobsmacked. “Absolutely not. How will I be able to transverse through the road? And how would I take my belongings?”

“By walking,” Chaeyeon answered, knowing that he probably wasn’t gaining the woman’s favor. “I know it’s not easy handling your clothes in such terrain, but it would be far more difficult to go through the dirt with a carriage.”

“No, I won’t allow it,” Sakura shook her head, crossing her arms. “There will be no abandoning the carriage.” Chaeyeon wanted to hit his head on the furniture, but instead, took a deep breath.

“Alright, we can try and cross through the difficult terrain, but you have to always be prepared to part with it if something goes wrong.” The Princess nodded, also giving a deep breath, as if in frustration.

“Then, what will the road be?”

“Well, as far as this map tells us, the right way of the road is very rocky terrain, filled with mountains. However, it would be more unpredictable for us to go through there. The left side, although still rocky, is not that mountainous, easier to transverse. However, it is more difficult to hide from any danger.”

“But,” Yena interjected. “Maybe the Prince expects us to go through the difficult road, thinking we are onto them so we won’t go on the easy route. That’s why we should go on the easy route.”

“Say what?” Chaeyeon interjected in Korean.

“Yes, we need to go through the easier route because they won’t expect that.”

“That sounds convoluted for no reason.”

“But what if I’m right?”

“What? No, we would become more vulnerable to attacks. Let’s go through the right side.” Yena seemed like he wanted to argue, but ended up agreeing, nodding his head.

“When will we be leaving?” Sakura asked, her factions now betraying a bigger worry. It made Chaeyeon sympathize, if only a little. No one wants to be at the end of murderous intent.

“As soon as we can. Maybe tomorrow,” Chaeyeon answered. “So, I think introductions should be made.” Both men stood up, facing the maids, who at that moment hadn’t said anything.

“My name is Lee Chaeyeon, surname Lee. It is a pleasure to meet you,” the younger man said, bowing.

“And my name is Choi Yena. It is most certainly a pleasure to meet you.” Yena bowed as well.

“My name is Aoi,” the smaller of the woman smiled.

“And my name is Mina. Pleased to meet you.” Both women bowed as well.

“Anyways, is there anything special about you?” Chaeyeon asked, directing his question at Sakura.

“Excuse me?”

“Is there anything special about you I should know about? So as to take in consideration for our journey.” Sakura bowed her head slightly.

“No, nothing specific to take into consideration. I expect you to not forget I am a Princess and, regardless of situation, I am to be treated as such.”

“Believe me, I won’t be able to forget,” Chaeyeon answered. “Would you like us to give you space?”

“No!” Sakura exclaimed, making everyone in the room jump. “I mean, no. I wish to ask a few questions, as well.”

“Alright, ask away,” Chaeyeon said, sitting on the floor again. The maids also sat down, seemingly less on guard than they had been before.

“Is it true you are a noble?”

“W-what?” Chaeyeon didn’t expect the inquiry. “Who told you that?”

“So you are?”

“No, I am not a noble.”

“So what my sister told me wasn’t true?” Sakura asked, her tone accusing Chaeyeon.

“W-what?” Chaeyeon stammered. “A-and you, didn’t you say that it was impolite to address royalty by name? Why are you then not doing it?”

“They are my family, I am allowed to address them as I please.”

“Of course you are,” Chaeyeon grumbled under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“It was my bad, then.”

“So you aren’t a noble?”

“No, I am not. I don’t know why the Princess told you that, but I am not a noble,” Chaeyeon answered, disliking Sakura’s obstinacy.

“Well, it doesn’t take but a simple look to know you are no ordinary man. There is a certain softness about you that I wouldn’t see on peasants,” Sakura explained, appraising him slightly.

“I am not a noble. I know it’s difficult to believe, but I am not,” Chaeyeon said quickly, panicking at the woman’s comment. Had she seen through her? Sakura stared at him, as if she was trying to figure him out.

“Alright, then. Is there...” the Princess turned to look at Aoi, who with one gaze, encouraged her. “Is there anything you like to do in your free time?”

“Eh?” Now it was Chaeyeon’s turn to be gobsmacked. He turned to look at Yena, but noticed he had already left the room, probably with Juri on tow. Damn.

“Uhm, I guess not?” Chaeyeon answered hesitantly. What exactly did she do in her free time when she was back home? She was out of home for the most part. “I like listening to music...”

“You do?” Sakura asked, her face betraying interest, which confused Chaeyeon even more. He nodded.

“And, I don’t know. I don’t have much time for anything else.”

“Do you play an instrument?”

“Ah, uhm, not really.” She played the piano a little, but she couldn’t tell Sakura that. The Princess nodded, seemingly a little disappointed.

“So, your only experience in art is dance?”

“Yes, that is what I used to do. What do you do on your free time?” Chaeyeon asked, trying to change the focus put on him. The Princess seemed surprised, turning to look at Aoi, who nodded at her encouragingly.

“As a Princess, I am expected to do several things. I was trained in poetry, music, and dance, although my biggest love will always be for poetry. I also do my own clothes.”

“Woah, so this is done by you?” Chaeyeon asked in curiosity (and a little awe), momentarily forgetting his animosity towards the Princess.

“It is.” If Sakura’s face wasn’t painted so, Chaeyeon could have swore she had blushed. “Do you like it?”

“I do. It’s beautiful. I can’t even imagine the time it took to make this,” Chaeyeon praised the older woman. It was true. For Chaeyeon, the prospect of doing this throughout your life was a nightmare, though probably better than her own life.

Enough of self-deprecating thoughts!

There was a small, awkward silence, that was only cut when Chaeyeon spoke again.

“Is there any other question you wanted to ask me?”

“Maybe,” the Princess answered cryptically. “But I’ll continue asking later.”

“Alright, then I will leave for the day.” Chaeyeon grabbed the scroll between them, folding it again. “Then, excuse me.” He stood up bowing.

“Wait!” Sakura exclaimed, making Chaeyeon stop in his tracks. “I just wanted to tell you that I hope we get along.” The younger woman turned to look at Sakura, who had bowed her head completely. “That is all. You can leave now.”

“Alright, have a good evening, Your Grace.”

Chaeyeon came out of the Princess’ room, her face contorted in confusion and suspicion.

What had just happened?

Had the Princess been kind to him? Had she actually asked something personal about Chaeyeon, and had seemed genuinely interested in the answer?

The sudden change made him wary of the Princess intentions.

However, if he thought about it, it definitely made sense that the Princess would try to be civil now. After all, he and Yena were in charge of her safety, but they had no connection of obligation or loyalty to her the way her maids had. The Princess had no way to know if making them angry would probably lead to a bad result.

Well, whatever the case, it was better to be civil to the Princess, as he won nothing from trying to start fights with her. It didn’t stop him from disliking her, knowing that the ugly attitude was probably waiting to rear its ugly head.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, the Princess and her maids’ belongings were already in the carriage by sunrise, as per the Princess’ orders. Both men, accustomed to early awakenings, were already up looking at the map as the oxen advanced slowly.

“So, examining the map further, there is a small path that leads to the mountains. We take that small path and get into the woods for a good distance, not enough to lose sight of the main road.”

“I still think it’s a bad idea to go through there.” The younger man put the map down.

“Then, would you feel better if we went through the left?”

“Don’t put it like that,” Yena warned. “You know I am also thinking about our safety.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon sighed.

“Why are you being like this? I have never seen you this aggressive.”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s because before I was only in charge of my own safety, not anyone else’s. Although I don’t particularly like the Princess, I wouldn’t want harm to come to her or her maids, neither do I want to endanger you.” Chaeyeon lowered his head. “Even then, I know I am being impossible. I’m sorry.”

Yena sighed. “It’s alright, but do keep that in mind next time.” Chaeyeon nodded, understanding Yena’s frustration.

“I didn’t mean to belittle your opinion, but I’m really afraid we will have no cover if we go through the eastern path.”

“I know, but, for now, you also have to think about the enemy. If the Prince already knows, would he think the Princess doesn’t suspect him, or that you don’t know?” Yena paused for a moment, stealing a glance at the map. “Moreover, we have to escort the Princess, who refused to abandon the carriage. How difficult would it be to pass through the more mountainous sections?”

“Fair enough,” Chaeyeon conceded. “If I think about it, even if they ambush us, it would be easier to run away through more hospitable territory.”

“So what’s your verdict, chief?”

“Maybe... maybe you’re right. Let’s go through the eastern path.” Yena nodded, her face betraying the satisfaction of Chaeyeon’s decision. The younger man smiled at him nervously, still trying to think about different dangers and ways to fend themselves (as he had done this all night, no sleep coming to him at all). After all, he was the one that got them lost on their way to Gentai.

The Princess came out of the inn, her maids in tow, carrying her robe.

“Are we ready to leave?”

“Yes, Your Grace. We are ready,” Chaeyeon confirmed, gesturing with her hands for the Princess to enter the carriage. Once inside, Chaeyeon’s head poked inside the carriage.

“If there is something you need, don’t hesitate to tell. We will do our best to help you.” The Princess nodded.

“Well, it’s time to go,” Chaeyeon said to no one as they put the oxen to walk.

Still exasperated with the whole situation, Chaeyeon walked behind the carriage, while Yena guided the oxen, relieving Mina from her position, having insisted in having her also rest inside the carriage. The trip was slow, and the surroundings, although unknown, were a big monotone. The good point this seemed to have was that there didn’t seem to be a lack of foliage and trees, which for Chaeyeon, it meant that there were more opportunities to blend in.

Some trees weren’t ones Chaeyeon had seen in person before. They were, some kind of pines, huge and tall, which made Chaeyeon somehow lament how vegetation wasn’t as vast and beautiful in her time as it was here. The terrain was still flat, its path so traversed it wasn’t as hard on his feet.

It took probably a few hours until the road narrowed, and there seemed to be the time to look for the little eastern road. It wasn’t hard to find, as it was also a flat road surrounded by trees and shrubs, making for a great view, although it seemed too flashy for Chaeyeon’s taste.

The younger man signed for Yena to stop the oxen, and, when they did, he got close to the carriage, opening its door again.

“Your Grace?” he called out for the woman, who was conversing lightly with the maids.

“Yes?”

“We are about to go through the right path, so I am sorry to say that the walk will probably be more rocky for you.”

“The right? Hadn’t you planned going to the left?” The Princess looked surprised.

“Yes, but, talking with Yena, we finally decided it would be less difficult for you to go through here. It would also be easier to help you if anything happens.” She nodded, agreeing wordlessly with Chaeyeon’s decision.

“Also, I wanted to ask. Is everything alright? Do you need something before we go further?”

“No, it’s alright. Thank you.”

“And you?” he asked the maids. “Do you need something?” The women looked at each other bewildered.

“No, thank you, Chaeyeon,” Juri answered with a small smile.

“Well, excuse me, then.” Chaeyeon bowed slightly.

The oxen started their slow walk again, making Chaeyeon internally groan in desperation. Weren’t there horses here?

As per Chaeyeon’s warning to the Princess, the road was rockier, as it was less traversed that the main road. In fact, there was no trace of anyone else walking through this road recently.

Wait...

Chaeyeon’s eyes widened, and he ran the beginning of the road. There were huge marks where the carriage had passed through, with some inklings of his own steps. He dragged his feet throughout the road, trying to muddle the trace of their own passing, hoping it wouldn’t be visible for anyone looking out for them, but he knew that hope was probably moot.

When he returned, the carriage was still advancing slowly, making Chaeyeon realize that he would have to muddle their trace until they finally reached the end of the road. However, Yena was looking at him questioningly, probably noticing he had left for a moment. The younger man jogged to Yena, knowing he couldn’t possibly shout.

“We were leaving a trace on the road.” Yena nodded, quickly understanding Chaeyeon’s train of thought.

“Do you want to change places?” he asked, wiping his hands on his pants.

“No.” Chaeyeon shook his head. “It’s fine. I’ll go behind.” Yena nodded again, smiling at Chaeyeon, who shot him a small smile back. It was a little reassuring.

With that, he returned to the back of the carriage, and carried on with his task, muddling the road as much as he could. The road didn’t end as fast as they hoped, though, as when the sun was finally hiding in the horizon, they were still on that road.

Chaeyeon conversed with Yena as they continued moving, trying to agree on where exactly to camp. They finally decided on a patch with more foliage. Chaeyeon turned to open the carriage.

“Your Grace?” he asked, and gave out a gasp at the sight. The Princess had her mouth open widely, her head flopping on Aoi’s shoulder. However, what shocked Chaeyeon was her open eyes. They looked pretty much dead, to the point Chaeyeon’s first thought was that she was as dead as her eyes.

Mina, probably noticing Chaeyeon’s reaction, tried hiding a smile behind her hand before rushing to reassure him.

“The Princess is fine. She just fell asleep.” Chaeyeon’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he recovered his wits.

“Ah, uh. Alright. I just wanted to warn you that we are about to set camp for the night. We will be straying from the path a little, so it might make the carriage shake.”

“Thank you for warning us,” Aoi answered, looking at Chaeyeon, as if challenging him to laugh.

“I-I’ll go now,” Chaeyeon stammered out and closed the door.

“They are good, let’s go,” he told Yena, who nodded and tried changing the oxen’s direction.

“What? Why? What happened?” Yena asked when he saw the expression on Chaeyeon’s face. The latter started trembling, which worried the older man.

“Chaeyeon, what happened? Are you okay?” He couldn’t contain it anymore, and laughed boisterously, slapping her own leg.

“What? What? Chaeyeon, blink twice if you need help.” But Chaeyeon continued laughing. “Oh, gods, you’ve finally gone insane. Chaeyeon!”

The younger man finally stopped, though not naturally, as he was still trying to contain his laughter. “I’m alright. Let’s go.”

“Chaeyeon, what happened? Have you finally lost your wits?”

“No, no. It’s nothing,” Chaeyeon answered, probably knowing that, as it was, he was in trouble with Aoi (she heard him; thinking otherwise would be unrealistic). He didn’t want to get into more trouble with the kind maid.

“Tell me,” Yena whined, feeling left out. “What were you laughing about?”

“Nothing, nothing. I’ll tell you later.” Yena pouted, but nodded, knowing he wouldn’t get anything out of Chaeyeon for now. The oxen walked again, being guided by Yena. In no time, they reached a place both men thought was comfortable enough to rest without (much) worry.

“What do you want to do? Place the camp or collect wood for the fire?”

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to have a fire?” Yena asked.

“Might be,” Chaeyeon answered, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “But the night isn’t being kind, and the women might be cold. If you want, we can take turns to guard. Or I can guard myself, no problem.”

“Oooooh,” Yena exclaimed comically.

“What?” Chaeyeon asked, clearly confused by Yena’s excitement.

“’The women might be cold’? Or Princess Sakura might be cold?” Yena wiggled his eyebrows, his smile as big as the Cheshire cat’s.

“Don’t say non-sense,” Chaeyeon answered, rolling his eyes. “We have to protect the Princess. It’s our job.”

“Alright, alright,” Yena answered, raising his hands as if to stop him from coming closer. “We have to protect the Princess. And who am I to contradict the tough guy when he wants to protect the Princess from the cold?”

“Idiot. Just set the camp. I’ll go get wood.” Chaeyeon rolled his eyes again, walking away when he saw Yena laugh.

After collecting enough dry wood to make fire, he returned to their camping place. He found Yena still making their camp.

“They haven’t stepped out of the carriage?” Chaeyeon asked as he piled the wood in the middle of the camp.

“I told them to wait inside the carriage,” Yena said, sighing a bit as he continued smoothing their own makeshift beds. “Besides, the Princess is still asleep,” the older man added, snickering, now obviously in on the reason for Chaeyeon’s laughter.

“Did you laugh when you saw her?”

“No... Well, yes,” Yena admitted, laughing more openly. “It’s just that... I would’ve never imagined that a Princess would look like something that would appear in my nightmares.”

“Don’t laugh that loud. Aoi is probably this close to planning our demise.” Chaeyeon attempted to start the fire, but failed. “Hey, do you know how to do this?”

“Yes, do you want some help?” Yena walked towards Chaeyeon gesturing for the latter to give him the twigs he was holding.

“Yes, please. I’ll go make their beds.” Chaeyeon said, walking towards the carriage. Opening it, he still found Sakura asleep. However, Mina was also asleep, her head hanging.

“Excuse me, you told me that you had something to make your beds.”

“Yes. Juri, could you give Chaeyeon the bedding?” Juri nodded, looking among their belongings.

“Is this place suitable for the Princess to lay down?” Aoi asked worriedly, stealing a glance at the sleeping girl.

“As much as it can be, I’m afraid,” Chaeyeon answered. “But I’ll make sure that, at least, all of you sleep warmly.”

“Thank you, Chaeyeon,” Aoi smiled slightly, to then frown. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten that you have mocked the Princess.”

“I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon said, biting the inside of his cheek. “I shouldn’t have.”

“It must have been quite a sight,” Juri laughed slightly, handing Chaeyeon the bedding. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Juri,” Aoi hissed.

“Let them be, Aoi. Anyone would be shocked at such sleeping face.”

“But the Princess is going to be unhappy.”

“She should have thought about it when she went to sleep,” Juri waved the other girl off.

“Well, thank you. I’ll be back to help you get to the camp,” Chaeyeon said, not wanting to leave them more time on that cramped space. He was sure Mina’s neck was going to hurt horribly.

By the time Chaeyeon had finished making the girls’ beds, the fire was already started, courtesy of a very proud Yena, who puffed his chest when it finally ignited.

“See that?”

Chaeyeon just patted Yena on the back, walking toward the carriage again, Yena behind him. Both girls were still asleep, and Yena had to smother another laugh when Aoi shot him a glare.

“Should we wake them up?” Juri asked.

“If you want to,” Chaeyeon shrugged.

“Or we could try carrying them,” Yena suggested. Aoi looked half-parts conflicted and scandalized, and Chaeyeon could understand why.

“Alright,” Aoi said uncertainly after a moment. “It’d be a shame to wake the Princess now.”

“I’ll carry Mina. Chaeyeon, you carry the Princess,” Yena ordered, making Chaeyeon raise an eyebrow. The older man just shot him a look, which made him sigh.

“Yes, alright. How should I go...?” he trailed off as he entered the carriage.

“Just... Raise her legs first,” Aoi looked at a loss on what to do. “She has a heavy sleep, so it won’t be easy to wake her.”

“Alright. I promise to be kind,” Chaeyeon reassured the maid, moving to carry Sakura. He huffed as he tried carrying her. “These robes are a bit...”

Trying his best not to trip, as Sakura’s robes obscured his sight, he got out of the carriage. Yena was next, helping the less stuffily dressed Mina. Juri and Aoi followed them outside to the camp, both frowning slightly at their sleeping arrangements.

“Hey, Yena. Where am I going?” Chaeyeon asked, fumbling when part of the robe entered his mouth.

“You’re alright, just keep going in that direction.” Chaeyeon walked slowly, hoping to god he wouldn’t suddenly trip with Sakura’s robes.

And that’s exactly what he did right after. He yelped as his foot slipped on Sakura’s robe, making him throw said girl onto the floor. He didn’t even manage to cushion his fall, as his hands had cushioned the Princess’ fall instead.

The Princess, now completely awake, having also squeaked in surprise, more than in pain, tried looking at Chaeyeon, who had managed to fall with his face snuggling into Sakura’s neck. Everyone froze for a moment, until Sakura yelled.

“What are you doing?!” Chaeyeon scrambled to stand up, erasing the thought of the Princess flowery scent.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” he said, truly embarrassed and contrite. He was about to extend his hand to help Sakura stand up, but Aoi pushed him out of the way, helping Sakura instead.

“You said you were going to be kind.” Aoi was glowering, probably wishing to throttle Chaeyeon.

“I-I did,” Chaeyeon rushed to defend himself. “I tripped with her robes!”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?” Sakura chastised, looking flustered.

“No, no at all. Just...” Chaeyeon told himself to behave. It did him no favors to fight with the Princess. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He raised his hands to the sides. “I didn’t mean to, Your Grace. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Why were you even carrying me in the first place?” Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

“We didn’t want to wake you up, so we thought best to carry you to your bed,” Chaeyeon explained. Sakura’s eyes widened.

“Wait. I was asleep?” she asked, as if she had just realized something.

“Uh, yes. We didn’t want to wake you.”

“A-and you saw me? Asleep?” Sakura’s face betraying the revolution going through her mind.

“Naturally.” At Chaeyeon’s answer, she looked even more embarrassed, panicked even.

“Please, forget what you saw,” she pleaded, mortified.

Yena, unwisely, decided it was the perfect time to butt in.

“If it’s of any consolation, Your Grace, Chaeyeon has never seen anything like that.” Sakura looked like she was about to blow a gasket. Aoi shot Yena a look.

“It’s alright, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon soothed, feeling bad for her, and even a little guilty for laughing his ass off a while ago. “I’ll forget. I’ll forget. Look, from now on I won’t even remember, and Yena won’t, either. Right?” Yena looked ready to say something, but at Aoi’s glare, he agreed.

“The Princess sleeping? I don’t even remember something like that,” he said, trying as well to make the atmosphere lighter.

The Princess still looked embarrassed. “From now on, I’d rather be woken up, preferably before anyone else sees.” She directed her statement at her maids, who nodded silently, albeit one looking more appalled than the other.

“Talking about sleeping, Mina really is a heavy sleeper,” Yena whistled as everyone turned to look at the girl, who was now lying on her own bed, sleeping soundly.

“Mina has always been a heavy sleeper,” Juri commented with humor. “Never really imagined to what extent, though.”

“Well, it would be better to go to sleep now,” Chaeyeon said, stretching his arms. “It still is going to be a long walk before we reach a safe place to stay.”

The women nodded, agreeing with the thought, as they were exhausted as well. Aoi and Juri turned to speak with each other, to then turn to the Princess.

“Do you want to change into your bed robes?” Sakura frowned.

“I don’t know...” she turned to look at Chaeyeon and Yena, who were now fiddling with the bonfire, giving the girls much needed space.

“You can’t sleep with that, Your Grace. It won’t be comfortable,” Aoi advised, shooting a sympathetic gaze at Sakura. “Chaeyeon has already seen you asleep, so this...”

“Don’t even mention it,” Sakura grumbled, to then sigh miserably. “I’m going to look ugly...”

“But you can’t sleep like that, Your Grace. Your makeup is going to get smudged,” Juri added, noticing the sullen expression. The Princess thought about her words for a moment before sighing.

“It needs to be done... Ugh, why did Rino even think on doing this?”

“Because she cares about you,” Aoi supplied, rubbing Sakura’s back consolingly. “And if she hadn’t, he would have left and you wouldn’t see him again.”

Sakura sighed again. “I know. I know. Let’s just get ready for sleep,” she announced miserably.

Both women nodded. “Let’s go clean your face, first.” The Princess was guided to sit on a nearby rock.

Sakura, despite her own vanity, hadn’t ever thought about attracting someone through beauty. Sure, she had a long list of suitors, but she cared about none of them. Looking beautiful had always been something she did for herself. It was different in this moment, and it made her feel weak in a way.

Now, she was more worried than she normally would at the thought of someone seeing her bare face, mostly because that someone was someone she loved.

Love? Was it love? She wasn’t sure. She just knew that she had felt this pull the moment she first saw him. He hadn’t even noticed her, as he was just absentmindedly walking through temple grounds, but she had noticed him.

She didn’t understand why she had fallen for him specifically, as he didn’t seem to be an exceptional man, but one early morning, he had been loitering around the lake; when she saw him smile, looking at the lake, though not at his reflection, her heart fluttered at the softness... Softness she would only see in glimpses, barely present on the surface.

And when he danced, she was left completely breathless. His dance was nothing she had ever seen. It was strong, sharp, and powerful, and his face betrayed emotions she had never seen expressed so barely. It was something close to anguish, deep sadness that moved her.

She hadn’t wanted to face him, too shy to even try to talk to him. But through Rino’s teasing, he was invited into their space. She knew she hadn’t probably given him the best first impression, but she hadn’t known how to act then, even less when Rino was visibly trying to entice him.

She huffed angrily, remembering those moments.

“Are you alright, Your Grace?” Aoi asked, worriedly looking at her. Sakura was shaken out of her trance, and turned to gaze at her friend, smiling reassuringly.

“I’m alright, just a little frustrated.”

“I wish I could do something to alleviate your uneasiness.”

“Could you cover Chaeyeon’s eyes until tomorrow morning?” Sakura laughed slightly, ignoring the anxiety brewing in her stomach. Aoi just smiled sadly at the Princess.

“Don’t worry too much, Aoi. You’re doing your best by me.”

“But Princess Rino left you in my care. How would I even venture to look at her again if I can’t take care of you well?”

“You can’t protect me from everything, Aoi, not even love troubles.”

“No, but I can try,” Aoi said stubbornly, making Sakura smile.

“Thank you for staying by me.” Aoi’s eyes softened.

“You have nothing to thank for, Saku-chan. I will be here for you, as long as you need. And until I know that that idiot is going to treat you well.” The maid’s eyes turned murderous, still having the image of Chaeyeon on top of Sakura clearly.

“I don’t think he is a dishonest man,” Sakura said, trying to calm Aoi, even when she herself was blushing at the reminder, still embarrassed at the whole thing. She had remained frozen until she felt Chaeyeon’s nose nuzzle her neck; then she had entered into panic mode.

“He could have been more careful. Unless...” Aoi said, narrowing her eyes. “You liked it.”

“No!” Sakura exclaimed. “Well, maybe a little?” Aoi gasped. “He was warm...” she trailed off, wringing her hands. Aoi looked at Sakura, conflicted.

“Then I hope he really is an honorable man.”

Juri arrived with the things necessary for Sakura to sleep. She started working on Sakura’s face while Aoi worked on smoothing Sakura’s hair. When Sakura was finally bare-faced, both women worked to change her clothes. It turned to be harder than usual, though usual meant the Princess had four or five servants to help her with her robes, so it wasn’t unexpected at all.

They finally returned to the camp, Sakura squeezing Aoi’s hand anxiously. The older girl squeezed back, praying to all gods that Chaeyeon would be at least a gentleman to the Princess. He has proven thus far to have a severe lack of tact and knowledge of politeness.

“Are you ready-?” Chaeyeon was struck when the girls finally came from where they were changing the Princess’ clothes. “Wow...” She had never seen anyone so pretty. Used to the eccentric (to her, at least) makeup and appearance, the sight of a bare Sakura made Chaeyeon gape slightly in awe. She wouldn’t have imagined that she looked like this. No celebrity she had seen could even begin to rival her beauty.

Aoi shot him a murderous glance, misunderstanding his awe for disgust or morbid surprise.

“No, I mean, I would have never imagined you to be this beautiful, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon said mindlessly, trying to get the maid off her neck. “If you would let me say it,” she added, clearing her throat. What was she saying?

“Is she not beautiful when she is adorned, too?” Aoi asked, huffing slightly when Sakura placed a hand on her arm. The Princess didn’t want to ruin the bliss she felt at his remark.

“She is,” Chaeyeon backtracked. “It’s just that... Maybe because I am a commoner, I think she looks more beautiful like this.”

A gaping Aoi turned to look at Sakura, who was blushing scarlet now that she had no makeup to cover her fluster.

“Thank you,” Sakura answered, a smile shyly blossoming on her lips. Chaeyeon felt her heart flutter, feeling that the smile definitely suited her. However, it lasted little, as her face was immediately after set into impassiveness, which, somehow, made Chaeyeon feel like it shouldn’t happen. Sakura smiling was definitely better.

Yena coughed, dissipating the slightly awkward air, which Chaeyeon thanked. “We should let them sleep, right?” he asked, turning to look at Chaeyeon, who smiled slightly, amused at his lack of bravery to even look into Juri’s general direction.

“Yes, we should,” Chaeyeon answered.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Juri asked both men when they laid their back against one of the trees. Both Sakura and Aoi were already lying on their own beds, but turned to look at the men when Juri spoke.

“We are,” Chaeyeon reassured her. “Just, not right now.”

“Is that alright?” Juri asked, betraying a little concern.

“D-don’t you worry,” Yena said, stammering. “We are strong. We’ll be alright.” Chaeyeon snorted, making Yena elbow him in the ribs.

“Yes, you all should sleep well,” Chaeyeon added.

“Well, alright. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

“Please, rest as much as you can,” Sakura added awkwardly, disliking Juri’s easygoing interaction with Chaeyeon.

“Yes, you too,” Chaeyeon blinked, surprised at her remark. Everyone finally settled for the night, with both Chaeyeon and Yena awake to guard the sleeping girls.

“Agh, I think someone will have to saw my legs off,” Yena whined, rubbing his legs.

“Someone will have to saw my head off,” Chaeyeon said dryly, rubbing his temples.

“We are dead men, aren’t we? We will have to beg on the streets of Geumsong for food,” Yena announced dramatically.

“Well, at least we would be able to sit down.”

“That is a good argument,” Yena groaned. “A very good one.”

“How was it, being at the back?”

“Not as bad as having to guide the oxen, I’m sure.”

“I’d say both places were terrible.”

“I’ll agree with you, good man.” Chaeyeon stretched his arms, having the thought that their conversation was becoming just incoherent strings of words. “I’ll go get some water. Do you want some?”

“Yes, please. The water from the canteen wasn’t enough.” Chaeyeon saluted Yena, making the latter stick out his tongue. Frowning playfully, Chaeyeon turned to walk to the small stream of water they were close to. It had definitely been a good idea to keep closer to a water source.

Despite the tranquility of the night, Chaeyeon was still alert while filling the canteen, knowing (but hoping it wouldn’t become a prophecy) that they could be ambushed whenever, but specially at night, when it was the hardest to escape, to even see.

When he returned back to the camp, Yena was still lying against the tree, looking intently at the canteen in his hand. Wiggling his fingers, he called out to Chaeyeon, who decided to walk slower to tease the older man.

“Stop teasing! I am parched!” Yena pleaded, making Chaeyeon smile slightly.

“Ha, thanks,” Yena said as he took a huge gulp from the canteen.

“It’s nothing,” Chaeyeon dismissed the appreciation, sitting next to his friend.

“So, what is happening with you?”

“What? Why?”

“You are never this teasing,” Yena pointed out, “If anything, I am the one that plays with you.”

“Nah, just... I felt like it.” Chaeyeon wasn’t even sure where did this bout of playfulness came from. Yena smiled mischievously, but said nothing, confusing Chaeyeon even more.

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing at all.” Yena shrugged his arms, turning to look to the side of the carriage.

“Liar.”

“It’s nothing important. Believe me.” Chaeyeon narrowed his eyes, but said nothing, deciding, for once, that he didn’t want to know what that man was even thinking about, though Chaeyeon had an inkling about the topic of said thoughts.

“Well, whatever it is, stop thinking about it.” Yena didn’t answer, and only stuck out her tongue teasingly.

After that there was silence. They were both exhausted, to the point where there was no topics for them to talk about. It suited Chaeyeon fine, as the silence was comfortable, though, disadvantageously, it was making him feel drowsy.

“Don’t you want to go to sleep?” Yena asked, a few hours into their vigilance.

“You go to sleep first,” Chaeyeon answered after a moment of thought. “I’ll be fine. I’ll wake you when I feel like I can’t stay awake anymore.” Yena looked at him for a moment, but then complied, sliding onto the dirt.

“Alright. Do wake me up if something happens.” Chaeyeon nodded, although he knew Yena wasn’t watching him.

The night was free of any intruder, to Chaeyeon’s slight relief. There was still a bigger wariness growing inside of him, though. There was no way that they wouldn’t encounter whoever was pursuing them, Chaeyeon was sure of it.

As everyone woke up, Chaeyeon was cleaning the fireplace, trying to leave no traces of their stay in that spot. Yena was yawning when he punched Chaeyeon’s arm.

“You are too strong!” Chaeyeon hissed, punching him back.

“You are not so weak yourself,” Yena shot back, though less seriously. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I wasn’t that tired,” Chaeyeon answered, though he knew it wasn’t convincing. He had been whining about his headache just after the girls laid on their makeshift beds, after all.

“It would have been fine if you woke me up.”

“I know. But I wanted you to rest more.” And that wasn’t a lie, either. He just had another reason behind it as well.

Yena smiled gratefully, even when it was evident that he could read Chaeyeon’s mind. “Thank you. But next time, tell me. I promise to tear those idiots to pieces.”

“How is a duck going to beat someone to pieces?” Chaeyeon asked, amused at the idea of Yena trying to beat someone.

“A duck? Do I look like a duck?” Yena asked patting his face.

“Yeah, when you pout, you look like a duck. Doesn’t he, Juri?” Chaeyeon turned to address said maid, who laughed slightly.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him pout,” she answered, giving a gaze to the man who looked close to fainting.

“Wait for it. It won’t take long,” Chaeyeon said, snickering at his friend’s floundering. “Do you need help with your beds?”

“If you please.”

“Alright. Are you going to help me, Yena?” Said man jumped slightly in his place, nodding bashfully.

“Y-y-yes. Let’s go!” Chaeyeon laughed slightly, following the man who now jogged to the beds.

“You shouldn’t tease him too much,” Juri said sympathetically, although she also sported an amused smile.

“You know?”

“How can I not, when he is so obvious?” Juri laughed slightly.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Chaeyeon asked, curious about Juri’s feelings.

“No. It’s endearing.” Chaeyeon wanted to ask if Juri reciprocated, but stayed quiet, instead, feeling it wasn’t any of his business to dig too much.

“Is it correct to assume you know about the Princess?”

“What about the Princess?” Chaeyeon asked, confused about the change in topic.

“It’s nothing,” Juri waved her hand daintily. “I think you will know later.” Chaeyeon looked at Juri, trying to figure out the girl, but he gave up when he realized he couldn’t.

Yena was already folding the makeshift beds, while the women where standing next to the carriage, talking animatedly with each other. The Princess was already dressed with her robes, though her face was now free of makeup, which was strange to see. Aoi and Mina where already dressed, as well, their faces far more relaxed than the past day.

“Are you ready to part?” Chaeyeon asked as he came closer, Juri next to him.

“Yes, we are,” Sakura answered with a tentative smile.

“Do you perhaps want to already get into the carriage? Or do you want to stay here outside while we finish preparing?”

“I’d like to take a breath,” Sakura answered. “There is still a long way ahead of us.” Her more sober expression made Chaeyeon’s heart ache, though she couldn’t understand why. Chaeyeon wanted her to smile, though, for unknown reasons, so she did what she thought was sensible.

“You aren’t wearing makeup today?”

“No, I’ve decided it’s a big problem to paint myself everyday. Why? Is it not alright?”

“It’s more than alright, but I was just confused. I’ve never seen you without makeup, except yesterday.” Sakura smiled. “You look pretty, anyways, though you already know what I think.” Chaeyeon added, wanting to distract Sakura from the negative thoughts of their situation, even at the expense of her own sanity, as these types of words made her cringe. Despite her own past like of compliments, she herself wasn’t one to compliment.

The Princess’ smile turned more bashful, while Aoi and Mina looked at Chaeyeon, bewildered at the compliment he had given so easily.

“I’ll go help Yena,” Chaeyeon excused herself, internally wanting to dig a hole and crawl into it, even though she felt satisfaction at the return of Sakura’s smile.

She helped Yena get their things together without saying a single word. The older man still seemed nervous, his thoughts taking him far away from where they were at the moment, so there was no need to start a conversation, to Chaeyeon’s relief. He probably didn’t catch Chaeyeon’s words to the Princess.

“We’re ready to go, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon huffed as she stopped in front of the Princess, who had been conversing with the maids again.

“Alright,” the Princess said, and at her words, Aoi and Mina helped carrying her robes to facilitate her entrance into the carriage.

This day seemed to also be a calm one. It made Chaeyeon rest easy, knowing that it would it still be taxing, but it wouldn’t be as taxing if their circumstances were different. It was perhaps for the best that Yena convinced him to go through this road.

After a while, Yena started humming a tune. It made Chaeyeon curious, so he asked.

“What’s that song?”

“It’s nothing. Just a random song that’s in my head,” Yena answered, humming again when finished talking.

“Is there any kind of music that you like?”

“Nah, music is only useful for festivities... and for road entertainment, of course. What about you, person from the future?”

“Not so loud,” Chaeyeon chastised lightly.

“Hah, they can’t understand us. We are speaking Korean, remember?”

“One can never be too cautious,” Chaeyeon answered, not ready to give up his stance, even when he knew he was being overly cautious. They obviously couldn’t understand them. “Anyways, yes. In the future it’s easier to listen to music, and I myself happen to be a music enthusiast.”

“Are there bands everywhere?”

“Well, yes, but...” Chaeyeon scratched his head. “I mean... there is this thing that let’s you listen to music whenever you want, without needing a band to play a song every time.”

“How does that work?” Yena turned to eye Chaeyeon skeptically.

“I don’t know how to explain that to you, honestly. I don’t even know the whole process myself.”

“You don’t? How come?”

“Well, as more things are discovered, it is more difficult to know everything there is to know about our world, much more about the things people create. We end up just specializing in one thing.”

“And what did you specialize in?”

“In nothing. To specialize in something, we need to go to college, and I never got to.”

“College,” Yena repeated slowly, as if tasting the new word.

“Anyways, yes, I really music.”

Before the conversation could go further, Mina opened the window. Chaeyeon, noticing Mina, approached the maid immediately.

“Yes, is there anything you need?”

“The Princess wants to rest for a moment.”

“Oh? Is she alright?” Chaeyeon asked, surprised (and a little worried).

“Yes, she is. She just wants to take a breath.”

“Alright. Yena! Did you hear Mina?”

“Yes, I’m stopping now!”

“Tell the Princess we are stopping for a moment.” Mina smiled gratefully, closing the window again. When the carriage had stopped completely, the door was opened.

“Is something the matter, Your Grace?” Chaeyeon inquired when the woman was already in his line of sight.

“No, I just needed to rest, that is all,” the Princess answered, looking around, as if in a dilemma.

“Do you need to take care of your needs?” Chaeyeon had learned that he couldn’t quite allude to human waste in front of the Princess, so he often had to ask things in a roundabout way. It was a little annoying, to be honest, but he did as he was told.

“No. I just need a breather,” the Princess answered, fanning her face, as if embarrassed. Leave it to the royalty to be embarrassed to the slightest hint of human needs.

“Alright. Don’t hesitate to voice out any need you have.”

“Uhm... what were you and Yena talking about?”

“Hah?” Chaeyeon was surprised at the question.

“Oh, we were talking about music,” Yena answered cheerfully, cleaning the sweat in his hands with his trousers.

“Yes, Yena had been humming, so I asked him if he had a particular liking to music.”

“And I don’t.” Sakura seemed to be mulling about something. Chaeyeon waited for a moment before he decided to ask again if the Princess needed something when Sakura spoke again.

“I am getting quite bored. Would you mind conversing with me while on the road?”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Chaeyeon said, feeling conflicted about the petition. While he was all about Sakura becoming more friendly towards them, he wasn’t quite happy to not be able to freely speak with his friend. Well, whatever the Princess wants...

Sakura smiled. “Alright, then. I shall not make everyone wait any longer.” The door to the carriage was closed, but the window was opened a few moments after Chaeyeon and Yena had started walking again.

Both men were quiet for a moment, but it only took one look at Aoi and her pointed glare that Chaeyeon understood that the Princess expected them to start the conversation.

“Ah, uh. Well, Your Grace, do you have any particular liking towards music?”

“I do, although it’s not my favorite art.”

“Ah, well, then, what is your favorite instrument?” Chaeyeon cringed at her own words. It was one of those awkward questions you would ask when you were in your first grade of elementary school and you were trying to make friends. But what else could she ask? The reason conversation was more fluid with Yena was because he knew about her, but there weren’t many things that she could talk to Sakura about.

“Favorite instrument?” Sakura pondered.

“Yes. For example, the instrument I like listening to the most is the piano,” Chaeyeon further explained, letting out a small detail about herself, hoping that this careless moment wouldn’t be prejudicial to her in the future.

“The piano? Is that a Sillan instrument?”

“Not quite,” Chaeyeon answered hesitantly. “You have never thought about your favorite instrument?”

“No, I’ve never. I play the yamatogoto, so I suppose that would be my favorite instrument.”

“And what about you?” Chaeyeon asked Juri, hoping that either Yena would finally man up to speak to her or would just find a way to hilariously make a fool of himself, either was fine with Chaeyeon (he might be a bit of an asshole, huh).

“I like the hichiriki,” Juri stated, her expression one of surprise at becoming the focus of the conversation.

“Was that the one you played at the celebration?” the young man asked Juri, remembering the performance Yena was so entranced by.

“Yes, that’s the one.” Juri smiled.

Chaeyeon turned to look at Yena, who was trying his darnedest to appear as if he was oblivious to the conversation, but was failing miserably. It almost made Chaeyeon laugh.

“You see, it was the first time me and Yena,” he emphasized his friends name, making the older man jump in his place. “Saw a musical performance here.”

“And did you like it?” Juri asked.

“I thought it was lovely. What about you, Yena?”

“Ah-I, well. I just-I also think I-I agree with Chaeyeon.” The younger man coughed to hide his laughter.

“Yes, it was very lovely,” Chaeyeon summarized, smiling at Juri, who also smiled, amused, back at him.

In that moment, someone cleared their throat, breaking their moment of complicity. Chaeyeon turned to look at Sakura, who now sported a frown on her face.

“Is something the matter, Your Grace?” Chaeyeon asked, confused. Looking at the other girls for any clue, he could see Mina shaking her head, and Aoi looked as if she was conflicted between choke-slamming Chaeyeon or just slamming her own head against any available furniture. What? What was going on?

“No, everything is alright.” Sakura smiled, but in her eyes shined a dangerous glint, which made Chaeyeon mentally back down. “I think I’ve been entertained enough,” she added, closing the window forcefully, making Chaeyeon jump.

“What the...? What did I do?” Chaeyeon wondered. “Yena, what did I do?” he asked his friend in Korean.

Yena shrugged. “If you don’t know, how do you expect me to know?”

“But I wasn’t even... Ah, whatever,” Chaeyeon sighed, walking towards the back of the carriage. That’s what happened when he even tried to be friendly.

“Breathe at ease, Your Grace,” Mina said, having also jumped at Sakura’s rash action.

“How can I breath at ease? When he...” Sakura huffed angrily. _When he is ignoring me?_ “Do you like him?” she asked Juri, glaring at her.

“Of course not, Your Grace,” Juri answered humorously, knowing that her glares were harmless. “Nor does he like me.”

“Then why was he even...? Why was he even speaking with you?” she asked, deflated.

“Do you expect him to only speak to you?” Juri asked, even when everyone inside the carriage already knew the answer.

“But he smiled at you! And you smiled back,” Sakura exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“Your Grace, not every man who smiles at a woman wants to bed her.” Sakura huffed again, disagreeing with Juri. Ever since she had become of age, man around the palace only looked at her with one motif. Every interaction, every poem, every smile, everything they did was with a purpose. How else would it be? How could Chaeyeon be any different?

“Moreover, he was just complimenting the performance. Not my performance, but the performance of everyone playing.”

“But he was looking at you while he said it.”

“Where did you want him to look at then?”

“I... I...” but Sakura faltered.

“Remember he greeted me and Aoi back at the inn?” Mina asked rhetorically, trying to help Juri’s case. “I think he just wants to be friendly with all of us.”

“Is it too bad to want someone’s sole attention? Is it wrong for me to want him to only look at me?” Sakura uttered after a moment of silence.

“It’s not. It’s definitely not bad,” Aoi finally said, softly patting Sakura’s arm. The rest of the girls just looked at the Princess sympathetically.

There was no more interaction between the two parties for the rest of the day, and that suited Chaeyeon fine, although there was a small fear that the Princess would be insufferable when night fell.

But when night fell, the Princess wasn’t insufferable... or well, she was, but in a way Chaeyeon did not expect. When night had fallen, Chaeyeon, as always, warned them about finally having to stop for the day. Differing from the yesterday, Sakura was wide awake, and almost jumped inside the carriage when he asked for the bedding to make their beds.

Chaeyeon quirked an eyebrow when Sakura had rushed to grab onto the bedding, giving it to him, gently, even when she was avoiding his gaze.

“Thank you,” he said, skeptical, and closed the door.

The Princess was probably trying to make amends for her weird behavior some time ago, but couldn’t she also verbally acknowledge her wrongs? Was it always going to be like this? It made Chaeyeon huff in frustration, even when there was a small seed of relief sprouting in her chest.

The beds were soon prepared, and the fire was alight, making Chaeyeon open the carriage door once more to ask them to prepare for the night. It had taken a moment for them to come out, but when they did, Aoi whispered, “she’s sorry.”

“Then she should probably apologize,” Chaeyeon shot back, making Aoi narrow her eyes at him.

“You...” she said, but only muttered something under her breath, instead following the Princess to help her with her clothes.

“Tch.” Chaeyeon walked towards Yena, who had been eating some strawberries they had found on the way.

“Isn’t it unsanitary?” Chaeyeon asked as she grabbed one from her friend’s hand.

“Excuse me, Prince. Would you perhaps wish to send for me to wash them?” Yena curtsied mockingly, popping another strawberry in his mouth.

“Shut up,” Chaeyeon spat, hitting him playfully. She inspected the fruit for a moment before eating it. “Wow, it’s the juiciest fruit I’ve ever eaten.”

“What kind of fruits have you been eating all this time?” Yena asked, eating another berry.

“Fruits with less quality. Don’t even ask.”

“Alright, I won’t. I’ll just eat more.” It took a moment for Yena to swallow the mouthful when he spoke again. “So, is it now my turn to guard for the night?”

“No, I’ll wake you up for your turn.”

“No, you won’t. You will just stay the whole night awake.” Yena pointed his finger at Chaeyeon.

“I- Well, maybe I would,” Chaeyeon admitted, knowing that lying would be shameless.

“It’s your turn to sleep, so lie down, and let me guard.”

“I... Alright... But you will wake me up if something, anything, happens?” Chaeyeon asked, not wanting to argue with Yena on something like this, but still feeling anxious.

“Yes, yes. Stop worrying and go to sleep.” Chaeyeon hesitated, shuffling his feet.

“Alright, mister, you go to sleep,” Yena declared, pushing him towards the bedding, disregarding Chaeyeon’s objections. “Don’t you see? That bedding is calling your name, asking you to rest in it.”

Chaeyeon snorted. “Are you now a bedding whisperer?”

“One of my talents,” Yena said, winking at Chaeyeon. “Go on. Sleep for a while. I already promised you to wake you up if something important happens.”

“Alright,” he exclaimed quietly after a moment, turning to lay on the bedding opposite the Princess and her entourage’s bedding.

Although he knew he was tired, Chaeyeon hadn’t really imagined how much tired he was, and he didn’t get to really think about it until the next day, as he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

“Chaeyeon-ah”

The young man opened his eyes as soon as he hear his name called, almost jumping on his feet.

“Wow, calm down,” Yena said, patting Chaeyeon’s shoulder.

“It’s morning already,” Chaeyeon stated, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, the Princess is still asleep, so you can rest assured.”

“You didn’t wake me up earlier.” Chaeyeon gave Yena the stink eye.

“You didn’t wake me up early yesterday, so...”

“Fine, got it,” Chaeyeon said, clutching his chest lightly. “Hah...”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just some pain in my chest.”

“Have you even taken your bandages off?”

“How can I, when the Princess is traveling with us?” Chaeyeon answered, taking a look at the sleeping Princess. “Moreover, what if something happens in the middle of the night and I am not ready to run off or ward people off?”

“It got to be uncomfortable in those.”

“It is,” Chaeyeon admitted. “I’ve become used to the pain, but right now it’s a bit...”

“Maybe you can take it off, and you just hide from the girls today.”

“How can I hide from them? I need to be available if they need something.”

“Alright, alright. But you feel good enough to continue?”

“Yeah, the pain will leave in a bit... or so I hope,” Chaeyeon said, whispering the last part.

It took a while for the girls to wake up, and when they did, both Chaeyeon and Yena were already eating breakfast (which was more berries they had collected around the area).

“Good morning,” Yena exclaimed at Mina, who was the first to walk towards them.

“Good morning,” Mina greeted in kind, a small frown on her face.

“Are you alright?” Chaeyeon asked, looking up from his hands.

“Sleeping in this place is quite uncomfortable,” the older woman answered, rubbing her neck.

“Your neck hurts?” At the woman’s affirmation, Chaeyeon continued talking. “There is one thing that always got me through neck pain. If you can get one of the girls to press on this particular spot,” Chaeyeon pinched her neck. “It will release some of the tension there.”

“And it works?” Mina eyed him critically.

“It worked for me,” Chaeyeon answered, shrugging his shoulders, wincing afterwards.

“Are you alright?” It was then Mina’s turn to ask.

“Yes, of course,” Chaeyeon said hurriedly. “I just had a bad posture when I was sleeping.”

“Your neck?”

“No, my... my back.” Maybe it’s for the better to hide my chest pain.

Mina hummed.

“How... How is the Princess?” Chaeyeon asked, wanting to divert the topic (it wasn’t because he worried about that ungrateful girl AT ALL). Mina smirked, as if she knew something Chaeyeon didn’t.

“She is alright, also had a tough night.”

“Is she hurt?”

“Like me, she has neck pain.”

“Oh, maybe you can tell her to do that,” Chaeyeon concluded, scratching his neck. “So, was there something you wanted to tell us?”

“Ah, yes. About our meals.”

“Sure, what about it?”

“It’s just that our food is getting scarce, so we need to arrive at our destination soon.” Mina’s words spiked Chaeyeon’s anxiety.

“Yes, of course. We will arrive soon, I promise. For now, what is it that you want us to cook?”

Mina brought with her, after a moment, the meal that the girls were supposed to eat. Yena, saluting Mina, grabbed the food and prepared to heat it.

“It’s amazing how the food hasn’t gone bad in this hot weather.”

“I know, right? It’s very convenient.”

“Well, I, for one, am happy to actually eat fresh fruit,” Yena said unconvincingly, popping a berry into his mouth.

“Yes, you sure don’t crave the meals that remind you of that welcome party,” Chaeyeon mocked.

“No, I absolutely don’t,” Yena answered, his mouth watering at the smell. After a moment, the Princess and the maids came to where they were sitting.

“Good morning,” the Princess greeted, looking straight at Chaeyeon, as if wanting to gauge his reaction.

“Good morning,” both men answered, though both were looking at different people when responding.

“I hope you had a restful sleep, Your Grace.”

“I did,” Sakura answered, her eyes still searching for Chaeyeon’s, looking for a hint of his mood.

“That’s good. Well, I think you might need to know we are about to cross a valley, so it might be harsher for all of you.”

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

After the food was ready, Chaeyeon and Yena distributed each of the girls their fair share of food.

“D-do you want some?” Sakura said after a moment of silence. Chaeyeon turned to look at the Princess, who looked mortified.

“No, it’s alright. Please, enjoy your food,” Chaeyeon answered with a half-smile. She wasn’t quite angry at Sakura anymore, but she wasn’t quite happy with her behavior either, nor was she aware of what had caused it, so he didn’t know what to say.

“Have you only eaten that these days?” Sakura asked, having never thought about it, as the previous day the boys hadn’t sat with them at meal times.

“I suppose so,” Chaeyeon said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s alright, Your Grace. That food is yours.” Although Chaeyeon definitely craved something more than berries, he felt guilt at the thought of taking the Princess’s food away, even if the woman herself had offered it. Besides, he would feel even more guilt if he got to eat, but Yena didn’t. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.”

“Alright.” But the Princess didn’t seem mollified, as if Chaeyeon not eating the same food as her made her feel guilt.

“If it’s not too much to ask,” Chaeyeon said, trying to start a conversation, finally taking the food offering as a semi-apology. Still, he didn’t know what to talk about with the Princess, so her questions were predictable (to her), if a little strange to the Princess. “What is one thing that you treasure the most?”

“What do you mean?” Sakura asked, confused by the question.

“Ah, like a charm or something alike.”

“Well,” Sakura was debating in her head if she should... “I usually take with me this belt that I used when I was younger.”

“Do you still use it?”

“No, it doesn’t fit me anymore. I... It was a gift from my sister.”

“Princess Rino?” Sakura nodded. Chaeyeon hummed, not knowing what to say next.

“I’m sorry if I seemed childish,” Sakura said, conscious about Chaeyeon’s lack of answer.

“No, not at all,” Chaeyeon answered, trying to soothe Sakura’s worries. “Uh, my mother hung a drawing my younger sister made of all of us. She never let anyone take it down,” she chuckled, remembering when a younger Chaeryeong had wanted to rip the drawing, but had been chastised by their mother. “After we moved, I would take that drawing with me everywhere.”

“Do you have it with you now?” Sakura asked, curious, her stance more relaxed after Chaeyeon told her about the drawing.

“No,” Chaeyeon said with relief. “Thankfully, I left it home before I embarked here.” And it was partially true. The day she had been thrown into the ocean by that monster was the same day she had forgotten to take the drawing with her.

“I have it with me,” Sakura confessed. “Back at the carriage. I usually pack it with my luggage. I can’t travel anywhere without it.”

Chaeyeon nodded. “And you?” she asked the rest of the maids, who, at first, looked at Sakura, as if they were verifying something with her, but started speaking when the Princess gave a minute nod.

It seemed to be what was needed to break the ice, as the rest of the girls seemed to try to keep a conversation. Different from the previous day, Sakura didn’t act in any way Chaeyeon deemed strange (in fact, she looked quite content, although Chaeyeon was getting weirded out by the stare she would often feel when she was talking to someone else). Yena was still shy, but would answer when questions were directed at him, though some of those questions were teasing questions made by Chaeyeon, who still overtly enjoyed seeing him so shy in front of Juri.

Even then, they couldn’t speak with each other for long, as they needed to get on the road as quickly as they could, so as to make use of the daylight to advance as much as they could.

Their third day walking through the bushy terrain started. This time around, the road wasn’t as forgiving as the previous day. They had to walk through a valley, which inevitably brought a small mountain, from which Chaeyeon could see even more valleys and mountains. If this was the easier road, then what was the state of the more difficult road? The mere thought made Chaeyeon’s head swim...

Fortunately for them, the sun had receded, covered by the clouds which provided some needed relief. However, the clouds didn’t bring good news. Chaeyeon just hoped that they would have already arrived at their destination when the rain comes.

It was a little after noon when Yena stopped the carriage, motioning for Chaeyeon to get closer to him. The younger man walked towards his friend, weirded out by the interruption.

“What happened?”

“Do you see that?” Yena said, pointing to a place not far from them.

“What about that...?” Chaeyeon squinted, looking at the direction Yena was pointing at. “Is that... a person?”

“It seems like it, doesn’t it? What do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Chaeyeon replied anxiously. “Do you really think it’s someone who will harm us?”

“He’s quite far from us, so I hope not.”

“You know better than I do about this, Yena. Can someone at that distance be able to shoot an arrow and hit one of us?”

“It’s a possibility. If the archer is skilled enough, then yes.” Yena’s words made Chaeyeon fret.

“There is no place to hide... Moreover, if there is more than one person, then staying put in one place might be worse than just continue walking...”

“Then? What do we do?” Yena asked.

“What do you think about getting to the main road? I mean... If they are already here, there is a bigger probability that a commoner watching us would deter them from hurting us, specially if the commoners see that it’s a Princess.”

“We could do that,” Yena said after thinking. “But it might take a while to get to the main road, as we actually walked deep into the wilderness.”

“I just hope it’s fast enough to keep them safe,” Chaeyeon sighed anxiously, getting back to the carriage. Yena snapped the whip, and the oxen starting their trek again.

Chaeyeon knew their change of plans was a gamble, as they had no idea what that (possible) person’s motivations were, nor what would they have to deal with when changing the trajectory of the journey. What if that person was just a person who lived in the mountains? What if that person was close to a temple? But what if that person had nefarious intentions, whether they knew or not the Princess was travelling with them?

Things didn’t get better when she felt the first drop of water fall on the tip of her nose. Instead, it made her panic, making her want to actually to go faster, but the damn animals would only move at this speed? Did horses not exist in Japan at this time?

A thunder was heard in the distance, making the ground tremble slightly. Chaeyeon heard a yelp inside the carriage, and, soon enough, the window was opened.

“What’s happening?” Aoi asked, her face half-scared, half-peeved.

“It started to rain,” Chaeyeon answered simplistically. “Are you all alright?”

“Yes, we are... Well, the Princess is a little reticent to storms,” Aoi admitted after a moment.

“Yena and I hope we can get to a safe place soon. Please, tell the Princess that.” Aoi nodded, closing the window again.

Despite Chaeyeon’s words, the storm just became worse, to the point where it had become difficult to see in front of her.

“Yena!” Chaeyeon screamed, trying to get her voice across the windy barrier. “We should look for cover!”

“Where?!” Yena yelled back, trying his best to direct the oxen. “I can’t see anything.” Chaeyeon didn’t answer, not knowing what to say. Closing her eyes, she grabbed onto the carriage.

Suddenly, she heard a bellow coming from one of the oxen, making Chaeyeon’s eyes snap open.

“Chaeyeon!” Yena screamed. “Chaeyeon! Get them out! Get them-!” Another bellow was heard and the carriage stopped.

“Yena?!” Chaeyeon asked, but stopped herself from looking for him. Instead, she opened the carriage door with force. The women, who seemed to already be on edge, jumped at her unannounced intrusion.

“We need to run, now,” Chaeyeon stated firmly, despite feeling an overwhelming surge of panic. The women wasted no time, directing the Princess to get off the carriage. While they were getting off, Yena grabbed Chaeyeon’s shoulder.

“They are throwing arrows.”

“From where?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think they are far from us. You take the Princess. I’ll take the rest of the girls.”

“I-We can’t separate like-” An arrow managed to fly by her, grazing her cheek. Mina screamed in surprise.

Chaeyeon had the urge to touch the where her cheek stung, but knew didn’t have the time to dwell on her pain. Grabbing onto Sakura’s hand, she ran, giving no explanation to the rest of the girls, who she knew would be taken care of by Yena.

Sakura screamed in surprise. “Where are you taking me!?”

“Somewhere safe!” Chaeyeon answered, still grabbing Sakura’s hand.

The view was still foggy, so Chaeyeon had not much of an idea of where she was going. She only hoped they weren’t going in circles, to probably face the person who wanted to murder them.

It was in this moment where she wished she collided with something, anything that would guide them through the fog, but it seemed that just at this time, she was running on open ground, which made her panic even bigger. If there was a possibility of someone pursuing them, they could much more easily strike them without any obstacle.

Her whole body hit on a giant rock, making Chaeyeon growl in pain. Thankfully, it seemed she hadn’t broken her nose or anything close to it. Turning to look at her charge, Sakura look frazzled, but didn’t seem to hit the stone the way she had.

“It’s... it’s a cave... Your Grace! Here!” Chaeyeon took her through what she correctly recognized as a cave entrance. Chaeyeon breathed in relief when she could finally found herself in a dry place. “Are you alright, Your Grace?”

Sakura didn’t answer, her expression still morphed into fear, her frame frozen without Chaeyeon’s guidance. Chaeyeon felt a pang of pain go through her heart. She couldn’t imagine what Sakura was probably feeling.

“Your Grace, here,” Chaeyeon said, taking her arm and guiding her into the cave. However, she knew not to take Sakura too deep, as there was a possibility that there were other animals residing there. When the Princess had finally sat on a rock, she started trembling uncontrollably.

“Your Grace?” Chaeyeon asked, ducking to meet her eyes. But the Princess still seemed out of herself. Chaeyeon sighed, standing up, not knowing how to comfort the panic-filled Princess. Chaeyeon debated in her head about what to do.

Despite her own reservations, she wrapped Sakura in a hug, hoping to comfort her.

“It’s alright, Your Grace. We’re going to be alright.” Sakura, to Chaeyeon’s surprise, didn’t push her, as she expected. Instead, the Princess clung to Chaeyeon tightly.

“Oh, Princess...” Chaeyeon didn’t know what to say, despite feeling her heart heavy at the Princess's anguish. She hugged her tighter, guiding the Princess head into her neck, coming to realize that Sakura, despite her previous rude behavior, had been probably hiding her own fears.

“W-where are they?” Sakura mumbled brokenly after a moment.

“They are safe,” Chaeyeon answered, wishing she felt as confident as she sounded. “We are all going to be safe.”

She felt Sakura inhale, as if she was going to answer, but then she felt her nod, feeling the embrace become tighter.

“Safe,” she whispered. “We’re going to be safe.” Chaeyeon, after hearing Sakura’s calmer words, drifted into her own mind, remembering the things that had happened in a matter of what probably was minutes (despite the fact that she had felt it last for hours).

How had the enemy managed to get close to them in a single moment? How had they managed to shoot their oxen in such a storm? They hadn’t had any time to prepare. They had just ended up running for their lives, leaving the carriage in the middle of nowhere.

Wait, the carriage.

Could their attackers be sent by the prince? Or where they normal robbers? If it was the latter, they had left the carriage unattended.

Well, no use crying over spilled milk.

(“I have it with me,” Sakura confessed. “Back at the carriage. I usually pack it with my luggage. I can’t travel anywhere without it.”)

Oh, no.

“Sakura,” Chaeyeon whispered, moving to disentangle from Sakura’s body. The woman looked at her, gasping when she finally saw her cheek.

“You got hurt,” the Princess whispered, trying to move from Chaeyeon’s embrace.

“It’s nothing,” Chaeyeon waved it off, and it was true. The pain in her cheek was nothing compared to the pain in her chest. “What’s most important is that we left the carriage alone. I need to go back for it.”

Sakura frowned. “You can’t go back there.”

“Your Grace, we can’t leave your luggage stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“But how are you going to find your way back? And what if those people are still there?”

She was right. “But how can we leave your things back there?”

“You are much more important than those things,” Sakura interjected, but turned her head in embarrassment after she realized what she had said.

Chaeyeon babbled for a moment, baffled at Sakura’s answer. She was more important? It couldn’t be. Maybe the Princess said that because Chaeyeon was the one taking her to the Fujiwara home, and she couldn’t afford to have Chaeyeon die or get severely injured. Yeah, that had to be it.

“Alright then, I’ll wait until the rain stops,” she reassured the Princess, extricating herself from the embrace. “Let’s see if there is a drier place to stay,” she said hurriedly, trying to get away from the weird atmosphere. Walking further into the cave, she examined the place for signs of any dangerous animal, but, strangely, there seemed to be no trace.

She saw something carved on one of the walls, so she tried to get a closer look.

“What’s this?” she wondered as she touched the carving with her right hand. These were some kind of hieroglyphs, which meant there must have been people inside this cave at some point. Could they possibly still be here?

“Chaeyeon?”

“I’m fine, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon assured before following the path that hieroglyphs were leading her to. As she got farther away from the entrance of the cave, the darker it became, to the point where she couldn’t see anymore. Chaeyeon knew it was probably time to comeback to the Princess, but there was something that was pulling her further in like a magnet.

She finally bumped into another wall, which, most likely, signified the end of the cave. For a moment, there was nothing but silence, until a blue light appeared in front of her. Jumping back, Chaeyeon watched in wonder as the hieroglyphs lit up one by one. She hissed when she felt a burning pain in her abdomen. Searching through her clothes, she took the papers out, which was a more difficult task, as they burnt her hands.

“Chaeyeon!” Sakura ran at him the moment she saw the lights inside the cave, but stopped when she saw the small spectacle in front of them. “What...?”

“Ah!” Chaeyeon exclaimed as she let the papers go. She had tried holding onto them as much as she could, but they burned too much to hold them at all. Suddenly there were some color gusts that came out of the hieroglyphs, making Chaeyeon walk backwards. These gusts flew around the cave, making Chaeyeon yelp and Sakura squeak, which reminded her of the Princess. Getting closer to her, Chaeyeon hugged the Princess, trying to keep her safe from whatever was happening.

Finally, the gusts seemed to rush towards the writings, disappearing as they touched them, as if the writings were a container.

Then, all the lights disappeared, as if they had never been there.

“What the hell?” Chaeyeon whispered, bewildered, crouching to pick up the writings. Opening them, her eyes widened at what she saw.

“What happened?” Sakura asked breathlessly as she tried to get close to Chaeyeon to see what he was seeing.

“I.. I don’t know.” The writings, that although still contained the old characters, had changed, adding new characters to form a new message. What does this meant?

“Your Grace, quick! What does this say?”

Sakura read from Chaeyeon’s shoulder, pausing in certain moments, as if to reaffirm what she had read, frowning when she ended.

“What is this?” the Princess asked warily, the remainders of past events too scary to relax.

“What does it say, Your Grace? Please tell me,” Chaeyeon pleaded.

Sakura recited the writing.

Never-ending waterfall

Pummels the Rocks

But the ruination

Is more tolerable

Than destruction itself.

“What does that mean?” Chaeyeon asked again.

“I’m not sure...” Sakura trailed off. “Where did you get these?”

“This... this is the shipment that I brought with me from Silla.” Both of them stayed quiet for a moment, neither knowing what to say or do. Finally, Sakura spoke.

“Was my brother aware of this writing?”

“He was,” Chaeyeon admitted. “He took it from me, but someone else gave it back.”

“I’m not sure what this is... or what this represents, but this could mean something important... something very important,” Sakura said solemnly. “Chaeyeon.” The man turned to look at her. “Please, let’s keep this between us.”

Sakura’s petition surprised Chaeyeon. “Yes... Of course, Your Grace.” After all, if someone else came to know what had happened, Chaeyeon might be in even more danger.

“Do you know anything about this?”

“I don’t,” Chaeyeon admitted. “Maybe... the person who gave these back to me told me to look for Shinfu, the rocks...”

“Shinfu,” Sakura’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Shinfu is a secret temple that is close to the city of Hyogo, only used by nobles from the Fujiwara clan.”

“Do many people go there?”

“No, the main temple that the Fujiwara go to is another.” Chaeyeon hummed, staying quiet for a moment to absorb the new information.

“Chaeyeon, let’s go back. Maybe the rain has stopped.”

The rain hadn’t stopped, so they waited for a longer time for it stop. No one said a word, both of them lost in thought. When the rain relented, and it was nothing more than a drizzle, Chaeyeon suggested they go looking for all of their respective companions.

“Were you aware of in what direction did we run to?” Sakura asked as they ventured out of the cave.

“No, the rain was blinding me, and we were being pursued, so I ran in the direction that seemed best.” Sakura breathed deeply.

“I remember seeing a broken tree while we were running. Could that be a sign that could help us return to the carriage?”

“Maybe...” Chaeyeon mumbled in uncertainty. He was torn. While their first priority was to look for the rest of the group, there was a danger of getting lost. They had no map, there were no things such as compasses, and their footsteps were erased by the heavy rain. “Could there be a possibility that we could reach the main road?”

“What are you thinking?”

“Yena and the girls had to run without visibility, so there is a possibility that they won’t know the way back to the carriage. Instead of finding them, we might end up completely missing each other. What if we go to main road, and start looking from there?”

Sakura seemed conflicted, and Chaeyeon, at some point, could understand her difficulty to make a choice. But they needed to do something, now.

“There is also the possibility that whoever attacked us has taken your things... or that the rain has destroyed them.” Chaeyeon’s words seemed to sadden Sakura, which made Chaeyeon remember that Sakura had something she treasured there.

“Sorry, Your Grace. I hadn’t considered that you might want to go for the belt.” The Princess took a deep breath.

“It’s alright. We need to find the girls first. And Yena,” she added, as an afterthought, irking Chaeyeon slightly, but the younger man knew there was no time for fights.

“Alright, then, if I’m not mistaken, we ran to the west, which means we already are close to the main road. So, if anything, we should be going to the west.” Sakura nodded.

“I trust your judgment.” Her words made Chaeyeon feel unnerved, as she already had gotten lost with Yena when they were trying to reach Gentai. Except that at that time they weren’t in the middle of the woods, while now, they had run without knowing where. They might have run in circles, for all she knew.

Hopefully they would find each other.


	13. Chapter 13

After walking for a while, they didn’t seem to be reaching anywhere, making Chaeyeon anxious. If there was a possibility that they were going somewhere else, they would probably get lost.

“Haven’t we been through here?” Sakura asked, making her companion stop.

“Do you recognize this place?” Chaeyeon asked, turning to face the Princess.

“Yes, this is the place where we... Oh, there it is!” Sakura walked towards the path next to them, and picked something from the ground.

“What is it?”

“Aoi threw this cloth while were traveling before the rain started.”

“Why did she throw it?” Chaeyeon asked as she inspected the cloth in Sakura’s hand.

“Aoi used the cloth to clean my face from makeup a few days back, and since it was dirty, and there was nowhere to properly wash it, she threw it from the window.” Chaeyeon held a desire to both choke and hug Aoi senseless.

“Alright, then we better follow this path,” Chaeyeon said, starting to walk, but halted again when she heard Sakura huff tiredly.

“I know we are in a predicament, but could we rest for a while? I’m not used to walking through this terrain.”

“Do you need a place to sit?” Chaeyeon asked sympathetically.

“No, it’s alright. Let me take a breather.” Secretly, Chaeyeon was happy for the rest.

For a moment, there was silence between both of them, which was broken when Chaeyeon spoke.

“Aoi is very protective of you,” Chaeyeon pointed out, seemingly out of nowhere.

“She is,” Sakura admitted, surprised by the random remark. “She was my sister’s maid at first, and I guess she learned to protect me the way my sister always did. When my sister left for Tang, Aoi was sent to take care of me instead. She was there when Rino couldn’t be.”

“When I was about to take you away from whatever was happening at the carriage, Aoi looked panicked when I took your hand. I guess that she didn’t want to separate from you.” Sakura smiled sadly.

“She doesn’t quite trust anyone.”

“I understand,” Chaeyeon said. After all, she and Sakura had only known each other for less than a month, and had interacted very little before this journey. If she was back in the present, no one would entrust someone important, like a chaebol or a primer minister’s daughter, to a stranger. “Hopefully she’s not fretting too much.”

“I find that difficult,” Sakura said jokingly, as if she was imagining her short maid in that moment. However, her smile disappeared.

“We should find them quickly.”

Although she could see that the Princess hadn’t recovered completely, Chaeyeon knew the older woman was in a hurry to find everyone else. “We should.” Their walk started. Still, Chaeyeon felt bad for Sakura, who wasn’t used to doing this kind of thing.

“Do you need help?”

“Help?”

Chaeyeon shrugged. “If you find some parts of the road difficult, just, grab onto my arm?” Sakura turned her head, blushing slightly, but then nodded.

“Alright.”

\--

It was already nighttime when they reached the main road, as they had to stop several times to let Sakura rest. Chaeyeon supposed it wasn’t half bad, as they tried making conversation to cheer each other up. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but Chaeyeon was grateful nonetheless.

“Your Grace, what do you think we should do?” Chaeyeon asked. “Should we continue walking until we reach the next town? Or should we go back for a moment and rest for the night?” Although the idea of walking more seemed excruciatingly painful to Chaeyeon, whose chest pain had only multiplied in the time hiking back to the main road, she wanted to give Sakura the benefit to choose.

“Let’s rest for now,” Sakura answered, looking everywhere as if to make sure they were safe.

“We’ll be alright, Your Grace. Remember?” Chaeyeon soothed. The Princess turned to look at him, and then nodded uncertainly.

“But what happens if someone finds us?” she asked.

“Then I’ll wake you up and you run,” Chaeyeon answered.

“You’re not going to sleep?” Sakura asked, worry etched on her face.

“Who would take care of you if I don’t?” Chaeyeon said nonchalantly, already looking for a more or less concealed place for them to rest. Sakura blushed, hitting Chaeyeon’s shoulder.

“Why would you say that?” she whispered coyly, but Chaeyeon didn’t hear her.

“Oh, there! Let’s rest there!” Chaeyeon pointed at a place, offering her arm to Sakura, who grabbed onto it and followed him.

“Do you need anything before you go to sleep?” Chaeyeon asked when they already at the place he had pointed.

“No, I’m fine,” Sakura answered, although she did feel uncomfortable with the robes she was wearing. “I need to… do something. Wait for me?”

Chaeyeon understood the need for privacy and nodded. “Call me if you need anything.”

As soon as Sakura was out of sight, Chaeyeon deflated, finally letting herself show the pain she had been feeling for days now. Closing her eyes for a moment, she touched her chest slightly in a bide to (ineffectively) soothe the pain. She hissed when she tried to apply pressure.

“Are you in pain?” the worried voice came from behind her, making her jump in her place. Opening her eyes quickly, she saw that the Princess was already next to her, her face betraying concern.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it,” Chaeyeon dismissed, hoping the Princess hadn’t seen much.

“Do you need a medic?” she asked insistently. “Don’t you dare lie to me,” she said more sternly when Chaeyeon opened his mouth.

“I think so,” Chaeyeon answered, pinching her nose at her carelessness. She shouldn’t have shown her pain at all. “Don’t worry about it for now, Your Grace. What matters most right now is finding everyone and reaching the next town.” He could see his words weren’t of Sakura’s liking, but she seemed to realize there wasn’t anything they could do now, so she nodded, her demeanor sullen.

“Hey,” Chaeyeon exclaimed softly, making Sakura turn to look at him. “We’ll be alright, all of us.” Sakura tried smiling, but it seemed more like a grimace.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Chaeyeon looked confused at the sudden apology.

“I don’t know why I let Rino get you involved in this.” She knew, of course, but the reason made her feel guilt.

“Don’t worry about it, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon reassured. “I, for one, am glad I was here to help you.”

“Really?” Sakura’s eyes shined, behind all that shame, with some relief.

Chaeyeon nodded. “It fills me with relief to see that you’re safe.” At some point, Chaeyeon felt Sakura was her responsibility, and even if there was an alternate universe where she had parted ways with her, she still felt the relief of being able to save someone innocent from death or hurt.

Sakura’s smile was genuine this time around, making Chaeyeon smile as well.

Chaeyeon cleared her throat. “Well, Your Grace, it’s better if you rest for a while. Don’t worry about me, really.”

“You’ll look for a medic when we arrive to the next town?” Sakura asked in a demanding tone.

“Of course,” Chaeyeon said, although she was sure she just needed to change her bandages. Her assurance seemed to appease Sakura a little, as she sat down, her back resting against a tree.

“Are you sure you don’t want to lie down?”

“With these clothes, I can’t.” Sakura smiled at Chaeyeon’s frown. “Are you worried?”

“I promise I’ll come back for your carriage,” Chaeyeon said, instead.

“Don’t worry now. As you said, we need to reach the next town first and find everyone.” Sakura closed her eyes. “I’ll rest for a moment.”

Although Chaeyeon knew Sakura didn’t sleep for a long while (as she had her eyes closed), she was happy to know that at least they could rest.

–

The morning felt a long time coming, and Chaeyeon was already feeling the effects of the lack of sleep on her body, so when the sun was already coming out, she jumped in her place, trying to wake her body up. However, she wasn't sure if she should wake Sakura, who had fallen asleep a few hours prior.

She waited for a few minutes before she finally tried to awake Sakura.

"Your Grace?" But Sakura was deeply asleep, and did not budge, even when Chaeyeon raised her voice. She was on the fence on whether or not shake her awake, but ultimately decided to. After all, they didn't have the luxury to stay in one place for too long, not knowing what had happened to the rest of the group, neither knowing if the people that had ambushed them were still out there. "Your Grace."

After a moment, Sakura opened her eyes blearily, groaning uncomfortably as she was shaken out of her restless dream. It wasn't until she finally discerned Chaeyeon's figure so close to her that she was reminded of what had happened.

"Chaeyeon, is it already morning?" she asked, her voice hoarse from the terrible sleep.

"It is. We need to keep moving," Chaeyeon said, tending his hand out to the Princess, who accepted it shyly. Helping the Princess stand up, Chaeyeon asked, "How do you feel, Your Grace? Does your body feel sore?"

"I…" a strong growl resounded. Chaeyeon looked at Sakura, surprised, while the Princess just looked down, utterly embarrassed.

"Are you hungry?"

"No." Another growl came from Sakura's tummy, negating the latter's statement. Blushing furiously, she just ended up shaking her head.

Chaeyeon looked at the woman critically. "Please, be honest. I don't want you to starve yourself."

Sakura hesitated at first, as she was fighting with her own pride, but then nodded.

"I am, too. Thirsty, as well," Chaeyeon reassured. This meant that they had to shelf the mission of getting to the next town for the mean time. "We need food and water."

This was a tricky situation. While Chaeyeon hadn't encountered many animals on their way to the next town, she knew that, at some point, they could rely on berries the way she and Yena had for a while to survive, which could shave off the hunger for some time. However, water was the main problem, as they had left the water with the dead oxen, and the last source was quite far from where they stood (if Chaeyeon's calculations were correct).

To get water, they'd have to walk off the way they'd already walked through and probably venture deeper into the forest, which was what Chaeyeon was trying to avoid, as she wasn't sure if their attackers were already gone.

Sure, berries were a source of juice and could also help with the thirst, but for how long? Neither Chaeyeon nor Sakura could predict where they were going nor how long would it take for them to get to the main road, much less to get to the town.

It took a moment for Chaeyeon to decide, but she finally ended up saying, "we'll need to go back into the forest."

Sakura frowned. "Won't we get lost?"

"There is also a possibility of getting lost if we try to get to the main road, and I'd rather we get lost with food and water than with nothing at all," Chaeyeon answered, remembering how she and Yena had roamed deliriously before they were mercifully found by the monks.

Sakura bit her lip in worry, but agreed with Chaeyeon nonetheless. "Alright, then. What do we do?"

Chaeyeon hummed in contemplation. She was deadly afraid of encountering dangerous people, but her fright for nature was bigger, so taking one of her outer garments, she started breaking it into pieces.

"W-what are you doing?" Sakura stuttered, covering her eyes from what seemed an indecent sight.

"We need something to guide our way back to this path, so I'm going to throw this as we go to use as a guide when we go back," Chaeyeon said as she continued with her task. She knew it was probably improper for her do this, but she knew it would be probably even more improper to ask Sakura to shed one of her garments to do this.

"A-alright," Sakura said, still covering her eyes. Although she could understand Chaeyeon's idea, this didn't mean this wasn't too much! How was she supposed to look at him when he was undressed?

"Your Grace, we need to continue." Sakura nodded, and, after a few seconds, she lowered her hand, blushing furiously when met with the sight of a jacket-less Chaeyeon.

"Y-yes," she agreed, walking for a moment with her eyes casted down. Chaeyeon didn't question her change in attitude, knowing that she was probably embarrassed by Chaeyeon's state. She, instead, continued walking, throwing the little pieces of her clothing to the ground to guide them later.

It wasn't until Sakura tripped that she was forced to look at Chaeyeon, who had barely caught her in time. "Please, be careful, Your Grace."

"Yes," she answered hurriedly, not knowing how to act. She, nevertheless, swallowed her embarrassment and continued grabbing onto Chaeyeon, as the section she had walked without help had been very difficult to traverse.

There was quiet for a moment before Sakura suggested, "I'm sorry if it's too insulting, but would you like to wear one of my garments?"

"It's not insulting," Chaeyeon countered quickly, to then say, "wouldn't it be improper for you to shed one of your garments?"

"It's one of many," Sakura explained. "If I take one it's not noticeable." It was noticeable to Sakura, but the woman could not withstand one more moment of grabbing onto an undressed Chaeyeon. As it was, she felt her face was a deep shade of red.

"Alright," Chaeyeon agreed, letting Sakura go. "Is it feasible for you to take off one of your garments?"

"It must be," Sakura said uncertainly. She had never had to dress herself, so she wasn't sure of how to go about it. "I might have to take this belt first…" But that's when she realized that it would probably be even more improper to undress in front of a man. The thought made her fret for a moment before Chaeyeon said, "it's fine like this. I'd rather be the one dressed improperly over you."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked out of politeness, but was rather relieved that had given her a way out of her own words.

"Of course." Chaeyeon shrugged. After all, she wasn't as sensitive to the rules of etiquette as Sakura was.

With this, Sakura grabbed Chaeyeon's arm again, aware of her own bashfulness, but knowing this was the lesser of two evils.

They continued their trip, stopping a few times to rest and to collect berries, which were split between the two of them. It was still a little difficult for the Princess, who wasn't used to the terrain. And for Chaeyeon, well, the pain had only multiplied, but Chaeyeon could only clutch her chest when she thought she wasn't being seen by Sakura.

It took them a day and a half to finally get close to a river, and both of them couldn't be more relieved. Despite the relatively short treck, they both were feeling the effects of dehydration.

When they were finally in front of the running river, Chaeyeon said, "you drink first, Princess."

Sakura seemed like she was about to argue, but ultimately decided not to. Chaeyeon stood as straight as she could, guarding the place in case someone suspicious came into sight.

It took a moment for the Princess to both drink water and wash her face, which was already filled with dirt, making her feel extremely gross. "I'm done," she said when she finished.

Nodding, Chaeyeon took a good look at her surroundings before kneeling to the ground. She immediately started drinking water greedily, thanking whatever deity up there for letting them get there in time. However, her bliss was cut short when she heard a shriek, making her stand quickly on her feet.

It was a man who had tried slicing Sakura with a sword. Chaeyeon immediately entered into panic mode and grabbed onto Sakura to drag the Princess behind her. The man was relentless, trying to stab Chaeyeon with the sword, but Chaeyeon avoided it as best as she could. Knowing that the man probably wanted Sakura dead, she yelled, "Sakura, run! Get away!"

The woman obeyed immediately nodding frantically before running into the forest. The man seemed to want to pursue her, but no matter how much he slashed, he could not get Chaeyeon to yield.

As time went by, however, Chaeyeon was was getting more and more tired, still feeling the effects of the walk, her chest pain, and the dehydration hitting at once. She knew that she was one movement short of being killed, so she had to think quick so the man wouldn't get to Sakura.

Running to the river, she jumped into it, grabbing a rock from the rocks nearby, and throwing it at the man, who sidestepped it. She started grabbing more rocks as she walked backwards, throwing them whenever she could. But it was no use. She was getting tired, and having to walk through a raging river wasn't of any help. The man was, again, close enough to swing his sword at Chaeyeon, who tried evading, but, as she bent backwards, she felt the the tip of the sword slice her chin, making lose her balance and fall into the water.

It was then that the man, who had looked ready to kill his opponent, suddenly contorted his face in pain, to then relax it, falling into river. Right behind him was Sakura, who was carrying a rock in her hands. She let the bloody stone fall to the floor, rushing towards Chaeyeon.

"Chaeyeon! Are you alright?" she said as she grabbed onto Chaeyeon, ignoring the fact that her clothes were getting wet.

"I'm alright," Chaeyeon reassured the Princess, grunting when she touch the cut in her chin. "You have quite the timing, Your Grace."

"You're hurt," Sakura said, not taking the bait of Chaeyeon's teasing words. Grabbing Chaeyeon's hands, she pulled the man back to safety.

"And I'm wet," Chaeyeon said, flapping her arms. "I'm alright, Your Grace," he added, seeing the worry in Sakura's eyes. "This is nothing to worry over." It had been fortunate for Chaeyeon that the man hadn't managed to slice her neck or any other part of her face.

"How is this nothing to worry over?" Sakura asked, her voice still panicked. She gazed through the area fruitlessly, wanting to find something to help Chaeyeon's bleeding.

"It is," Chaeyeon said, grabbing the man and pulling him out of the water. "The bleeding will stop in due time, and the cut will heal." Though, to be honest, Chaeyeon knew this type of cut was deep enough to need stitches. Were there stitches in this time? She wasn't sure.

Undressing the man, she took the outer garment, examining it for a moment and then putting it on.

"Now I'm not undressed." But Sakura wasn't amused. In fact, she seemed to be getting angry.

"Come here," she ordered, grabbing onto Chaeyeon's hand and pulling him towards her. Sakura used the sleeve of her outer garment to dab onto the cut gently, ignoring the hisses.

"Don't move," she barked, using her other hand to halt Chaeyeon's movements.

However, no matter how much she tried cleaning the cut, more blood came out of it. It was starting to exasperate the Princess.

"Your Grace, the cut won't stop bleeding. I'll need a medic to look at my injury."

Sakura huffed, knowing that what Chaeyeon was saying was probably true. "Then wash your face, and let's go. We need to get to the town."

Usually, Chaeyeon would feel angry at the bosiness in the Princess's tone, but right now, there was no time to argue or get mad, as Sakura was right. She needed medical attention. She couldn't just continue bleeding like this forever.

"Alright," she agreed instead. Looking at the river, she said, "we should walk next to the riverbed. There's a bigger probability we'll find the town if we follow it."

"And the guide you threw?" Sakura asked.

Chaeyeon shook her head. "We don't know if we were going the right way, and if we were, how far we are from the town."

Sakura huffed, feeling helpless about the situation, but nodded right after. There was no time to argue, only time to get Chaeyeon a medic. "Alright."

"Let's go."

\--

Chaeyeon could barely contain her excitement when she saw the town in the distance. Sakura looked different shades of relieved, sighing when they were but a few steps to the entrance.

“Well, Your Grace, the first thing to look for is an inn for you to rest. Then, I’ll go look for the rest of the group.” At her words, Sakura frowned.

"You need a medic," she retorted.

"But what about Mina, Juri, Aoi, and Yena?" Chaeyeon asked. "Should I abandon them for my own well-being?"

Sakura felt torn by the question, thinking that yes, Chaeyeon needed to get better (although the bleeding wasn't as abundant as when Chaeyeon was first cut, she could see that Chaeyeon looked weaker), but she couldn't forsake her friends.

“Isn’t there anything I can help you with?” she asked finally.

“Don’t worry about it, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon reassured. “It’s my duty to keep you all safe, after all.”

Sakura grimaced at Chaeyeon’s words. _I wish I could be more than your duty_. The thought of Chaeyeon’s words yesterday made her happy, and gave her hope that maybe there was a chance. “Am I only your duty?”

Chaeyeon was surprised at Sakura’s words. What's up with that question? “Not at all, Your Grace.” It wasn’t a lie. While Chaeyeon wasn’t sure how to classify Sakura, what with them knowing each other for a short period of time (and disliking each other the majority of time), she knew the Princess was not just a duty anymore. She was maybe… a friend. “Not at all.”

The vague reassurance gave little peace to Sakura, but she could take the denial at face value, much more now that there were more pressing matters.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

“I’m sure, Your Grace. I don’t want you to be in danger again.” Walking towards a small building that had a wooden carved sign, she asked the woman sweeping outside, “Excuse me. Is there an inn here?”

The woman just pointed inside, baffling Chaeyeon. Sakura huffed at her side, ready to give the woman a piece of her mind, but she was stopped by Chaeyeon.

“It’s better if she doesn’t know,” Chaeyeon murmured. “If no one comes to know you are here, then you will be safer.” Entering the inn, she got closer to the counter, but she stopped when Sakura gasped.

“Aoi! Mina! Juri!” Turning to look at Sakura, she saw the Princess run towards her friends, who stood up from the table they were eating at.

“Princess!” Aoi rushed towards the Princess, grabbing her hands tightly. “You are alright.” Aoi looked ready to cry.

“How have you fared?” Sakura asked.

“Thanks to Yena, we found our way here soon enough,” Aoi answered, waving the question away, as if it wasn’t important. “How about you, Your Grace?”

“Chaeyeon protected me.” Sakura turned her head to smile at the man who was now walking towards them, relief on his face.

“It’s a huge relief to see you all alright,” Chaeyeon commented, happiness and relief radiating on her face. She never knew she would feel like this by looking at Aoi’s face. “Where is Yena?”

“He didn’t come with you?”

“He went to look for us?” The girls looked at each other bewildered.

“He left since yesterday night. We thought he would find you quickly.”

Chaeyeon hummed in thought. While he worried about Yena, she knew that he had a better sense of direction that she did, and would, most likely (hopefully), find his way back. On the other hand, she couldn’t just stay put, in a comfortable inn while he was looking out for her, with the inability to know her whereabouts.

"What happened to you?" Aoi asked, frazzled at the sight of blood.

"It's just a little cut. Don't worry about it," Chaeyeon answered, not wanting to tell Aoi, of all people, that Sakura had been in danger.

The Princess looked peeved at her words, but said nothing.

Turning to the Princess, Chaeyeon asked, “Are you going to be alright with the girls here?”

“Are you leaving without even resting?”

Chaeyeon nodded. “I have to.” The Princess didn’t like the answer, but she understood that Yena was important to Chaeyeon, so she nodded in agreement, giving him permission to look out for Yena.

Chaeyeon rushed out of the inn, hurrying towards the entrance to the town. Although she trusted Yena, she knew that the more time she spent walking towards the woods they had been during the storm, more possibilities for her to completely miss her friend.

The thought made her run faster, but she stopped altogether when she saw a man fumbling to drag a carriage.

“Yena!”

“Chaeyeon!” the man exclaimed, moving so suddenly the carriage fell from his hold, barely leaving him time to avoid it.

“Where were you?” Chaeyeon asked, marveled at Yena’s strength.

“I can ask the same of you, tough guy,” Yena answered, grinning at Chaeyeon.

“We had to stay for a while in a cave while the rain wore off. Then, we were lost, so we ended up tracing our way to the main road and into the town. You?”

“Oh, we actually found the main road quite quickly. I settled the girls in the inn and I went out to look for the both of you. A cave, huh?” Yena wiggled his eyebrows greasily, making Chaeyeon hit his arm.

“Shut up. Nothing happened.” Except the supernatural lights that changed the writings they had brought from Silla.

“I didn’t say anything,” Yena raised his arms in surrender. “Give me a hand, please.”

Chaeyeon choked on her breath when lifting the carriage. The pain was incredible, but she couldn’t let Yena carry this thing alone, so she bore with it.

Yena huffed at having to lift the carriage again, but didn’t complain. "What happened to your face?"

"We were ambushed, but the Princess was pretty tough on the man." Chaeyeon's words made Yena laugh, not understanding that it was true.

“Where is your Princess?”

“She’s not my Princess,” Chaeyeon countered. “And she’s at the inn, with Aoi, Mina, and Juri.”

“Oh, good, good.” Yena wheezed. And there were no more words, as the carriage was too heavy to be making casual talk. It didn’t matter to Chaeyeon, they would have more time to speak to each other.

When they finally were able to put it in front of the inn, Yena groaned in relief. “Do you have any idea how heavy it is to carry a carriage on your own?”

“Why did you do that, you idiot?” Chaeyeon asked, cringing at the mental image of Yena carrying the thing through the whole road to the town.

“Well, I found it when I was looking for you both. How could I leave it there?”

“Is everything still inside?”

“I’m not sure.” Yena shrugged her shoulders. “Did you already eat?” Chaeyeon shook her head.

“We just arrived. I went to look out for you as soon as I knew that you left.”

Yena patted Chaeyeon’s head. “Aw, aren’t you a great friend.”

“Shut up,” Chaeyeon snapped playfully, shoving Yena’s hand away. “I’m very hungry, though.”

“That makes two of us,” Yena said before entering the inn. “I’m back,” he hollered, making some of the guests to turn to glare at him.

“Sorry,” Chaeyeon apologized on Yena’s behalf, then followed the man towards the girls, who looked at both of them with relief.

“You came back quickly,” Aoi said, her voice filled with relief.

“We found each other at the entrance of the town,” Chaeyeon answered before turning to look at Sakura. “Your Grace, are you alright? Are you hungry?”

“I’ve already requested a meal. Thank you, Chaeyeon.” Sakura smiled at him. “Shouldn’t you be eating, too?”

“Maybe I should,” Chaeyeon acquiesced, sitting down in front of the table where the maids had already been eating their meals, but now were waiting for the cook to bring Sakura hers. “What can we eat?”

“I’m not sure,” Juri admitted. “We just asked for his recommended dish, and that is what he brought us.”

“Maybe I’ll have the same thing. You?” she asked Yena.

“I’ll have whatever. I’m starving.” Yena patted her belly, groaning as if to exemplify his hunger. The maids giggled at his exaggerated gesture, surprising Chaeyeon. Maybe they also had enough time to get on better terms like she and Sakura had?

“Here it is, Miss,” the man said, putting the plates on the table. “Is there anything else we can do for you?” The man was exceedingly polite, perhaps because of the dirty, but finely made clothes all the girls had, which might not betray that she was the Princess, but it might make them think she was at least a noble.

“We want two more plates of what they had, please,” Chaeyeon asked, nodding to herself. The man seemed to regard them more ambivalently, but he nodded politely regardless, leaving the table.

“We’re finally here,” Chaeyeon whispered, as if reaffirming to herself that the worst had already passed and they were now together. Sakura seemed to hear what he had said, as she turned to look at him, concern in her brow. “It’s alright, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon murmured, even when she felt the tiredness of these past few sleepless days hit her at once.

“I found the carriage and brought it here,” Yena boasted, puffing his chest in pride. Contrary to what Chaeyeon would’ve expected, Aoi thanked him sincerely, alongside the other girls.

“Does it still have all our things?” Sakura asked, giving a sip to her soup.

“I’m not sure,” Yena said hesitantly. “I didn’t check.”

“I’ll go check if you’d like, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon offered. Sakura looked at him critically, as if chastising the young man for trying to work more.

“We’ll see later. First eat,” she said, her tone more demanding. “And then we'll call the medic.”

Chaeyeon nodded, not willing to argue on that. It was becoming more difficult to even keep her eyes open.

Finally, her and Yena’s meals were brought to the table. Yena dug in with gusto, while Chaeyeon gave small sips. She hadn’t eaten in a while, and she knew if she ate unrestrained, her body would reject the food later.

“Hey, Chaeyeon-ah, you should go rest,” Yena directed softly, making Chaeyeon open her eyes suddenly.

“Ah,” Chaeyeon exclaimed without energy. “Sorry.”

“Go rest,” Sakura demanded. Chaeyeon thought about it for a moment, but then nodded, getting up from the table and walking towards the innkeeper.

After learning Yena had already rented a room (with what money? She'll have to ask later), she walked towards the directed room, leaving her friends behind. Once she was inside the room, she opened the robe, determined to get herself out of those dirty bandages.

Her once soft skin was now rough and dirty. There were some parts where her skin was scrapped off, making her hiss as she took the bandages off.

Was that a sore?

Feeling an upcoming headache, Chaeyeon rubbed her temples. She didn’t want to deal with a doctor now that she had company. Maybe she’d deal with it later, when she had some rest.

At the very least, she could breath normally again.

Putting the robe again, she laid down on the floor, not caring enough to make the bedding.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.

–

It was a deep darkness, one that filled her heart with fright and panic. It reminded her of being thrown into the treacherous ocean to drown, to die irreparably.

She could hear a soothing voice say,

“Four… four is the number. Three gods and Izanagi.”

She suddenly started falling, as if she being engulfed by the darkness. She could only scream for help even when she knew that no one would come to her rescue.

–

Chaeyeon woke up, having a vague feeling of something humid on her face. Whining, she tried turning her face away, but it wasn’t meant to be, as her whole body felt like lead.

She wasn’t able to open her eyes, but she could hear someone move hurriedly. Paying no heed, she whined again, feeling now her whole chest in pain.

She heard someone talking, but she couldn’t discern their words, nor if it was actually important.

It was better to sleep for a while, she decided hazily.

And so she did.


End file.
